Bill Withers Pays Special Visit to USC, 'Lean on Me' Singalong Ensues

When USC players "punked" Pete Carroll by staging a fake fight during a team practice, the head coach vowed to get revenge. Carroll returned the favor on Friday night with help from a very special guest -- legendary singer-songwriter Bill Withers.

Withers posed as an NCAA representative who warned players about a fictional fungus. "It's the only fungus I know associated with any bone damage," Withers said during his staged speech.

After revealing his true identity, the room erupted with laughter.

Carroll, known for staging pranks to lighten the team's mood, enlisted Withers' help because of a connection to "Lean on Me," a song Withers wrote nearly 40 years ago. Earlier in training camp, freshman linebacker Marquis Simmons led the entire team in a rendition of Withers' hit.

"He was more than willing to do it," Carroll said after the Trojans' morning practice Saturday. "It was an extraordinary gift he gave us, but he had a ball."

Withers closed his appearance with some advice for the players: "Don't lose sight of this camraderie that you have now, because the later you go in your life, the less access you will have to this friendship ... just don't let this go by without realizing that it's happening to you."

Hat Tip: The Wiz of Odds