Players Defend Meeting

Two days after meeting with O.J. Simpson, USC players seemed unaffected by the stir it caused back home.

“I haven’t heard any negative reaction,” said Justin Fargas, who met Simpson for lunch after Saturday’s practice. “I don’t see what the big deal is. I looked at him like a former football player, one of my heroes.”

Simpson, who showed up at Fargas’ invitation, shook hands and signed autographs during the practice. His appearance drew the ire of many who feel he was wrongly acquitted of the double murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

“You have to understand, to us, he’s just a former star,” Fargas said. “To me, he’s a great running back who can teach me some things. I think most of us are too young to see him in any other way.”

Fargas said they discussed running techniques during the lunch.

“I wanted to find out what made him such a great running back,” he said. “I didn’t ask him anything else. I didn’t care about anything else.”

Carson Palmer, whose photograph with Simpson also caused a stir, agreed with Fargas.

“It was awesome seeing him,” Palmer said. “I remember him as a football star and a movie star, as a celebrity, nothing else.”

USC officials said that once Simpson began walking into their practice facility unannounced -- and once players saw him and started cheering -- they had little choice but to admit him.

They said they wished he had stayed away. But once he arrived, they felt it would have caused a bigger scene to escort him out in front of players who were in grade school at the time of his trial.

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This is USC’s third bowl-game appearance since Malaefou MacKenzie began his Trojan career in 1997. But it is the first bowl experience for the sixth-year senior running back.

MacKenzie suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 1998 opener against Purdue and did not accompany the Trojans to El Paso for the Sun Bowl. USC lost to Texas Christian, 28-19.

MacKenzie missed last season’s 10-6 Las Vegas Bowl defeat against Utah because he left the team at midseason after his father’s death.

“It’s been pretty awesome,” MacKenzie said. “I don’t think I missed much in El Paso.”

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While the Trojans went through their workout Monday, injured defensive tackle Shaun Cody and cornerback Ronald Nunn continued their rehabilitation programs.

Both players had season-ending knee surgery, Nunn after the third game against Kansas State, Cody after the sixth game against California.

“It’s tough to not be out there on the field,” Cody said while icing his knee on the trainers’ table. “Guys always shoot the jokes my way. ‘You just came for the vacation,’ they say.

“That’s OK. It’s part of the deal. I used to do the same thing.”

Nunn said he would be ready to participate in noncontact drills during spring practice. Cody will not return until training camp in August.

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All-American safety Troy Polamalu missed part of Monday’s practice to receive treatment on his left hamstring. Polamalu said the problem has nagged him throughout the season. Polamalu eventually returned and finished the workout.

He received more treatment afterward.

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The Trojans attended the NBA game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. They will have a New Year’s Eve celebration tonight at the team hotel.