LOS ANGELES — Former USC wide receiver Bru McCoy has officially dropped his legal action challenging the school’s 2021 indefinite emergency order removing him from campus four days after a felony domestic violence arrest involving an ex-girlfriend.
McCoy’s action comes five months after USC abandoned its Title IX complaint against McCoy after the player’s former girlfriend refused to take part in a hearing and allow the school access to her medical records.
McCoy’s court papers were filed Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, requesting dismissal of his case “without prejudice,” meaning it can be refiled later if circumstances warrant him doing so. Beckloff formally dismissed the case on Tuesday.
McCoy’s legal action, filed last Aug. 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged that the university had presented no evidence in support of its argument that McCoy posed an immediate threat to the physical health or safety of anyone. The petition further alleged the school’s decision to maintain the emergency removal and indefinite interim suspension is “arbitrary and capricious.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office that same month declined to file any criminal charges against McCoy, citing insufficient evidence. He announced in May that he was transferring to the University of Tennessee.
McCoy’s accuser and the 22-year-old player met when they were in high school, dated periodically and have had an on-and-off relationship since, the petition stated. She is unaffiliated with USC, the alleged conduct occurred off campus and it was unconnected with any USC activity or program, according to McCoy’s court papers.
McCoy was a redshirt freshman last season when he caught 21 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in six games. Team officials hoped he would be an important part of the Trojan offense last season.
McCoy graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Shortly after enrolling at USC in the spring of 2019 as the nation’s No. 1-ranked athlete in his recruiting class, McCoy transferred to the University of Texas because he felt betrayed by Kliff Kingsbury, the Trojans’ offensive coordinator, who departed USC to be the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL.
McCoy participated in spring practice in 2019 with the Longhorns before transferring back to USC in June of that year, but he did not make his college football debut until 2020.
