USC Athletics Director Resigns

The embattled athletics director of the University of Southern California resigned on Monday three years into his tenure.

Lynn Swann had faced significant criticism in his time at USC, particularly after one of his top deputies, Donna Heinel, was indicted on bribery charges for her alleged role in allowing top athletes to use relaxed admission standards to enroll in the university.

Carol Folt, USC president, told the Los Angeles Times that Swann "understood" she was putting together a leadership team at the university.

"He felt that this was the professional thing to do, to resign and allow me to build my team," Folt told the newspaper. "That really is the gist of it."