USC's Latest Problem is No Laughing Matter

Pete Carroll can do a lot of things.

But one thing he can't do, apparently, is control ... jock itch.

That's the word out of camp at USC, where, according to the Los Angeles Times, as many as 25 percent of the players on the Trojans' roster are battling a particularly nasty case of this itchy, scratchy and altogether uncomfortable condition. It's so bad, in fact, that some players -- including budding superstar Joe McKnight -- are unable to practice.

The coaches and staff have traced the problem to a new brand of compression shorts some players have been wearing. And those players who aren't yet wearing the shorts are certainly keeping their distance.

As tailback Stafon Johnson said: "I don't know what it is, but I'm staying away from it."

Photo: USC tailback Joe McKnight is among the Trojans' players affected by an outbreak of, well, jock itch. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)