LOS ANGELES -- Jim Mora acknowledged on Wednesday that he went overboard when he said a person who impersonated UCLA cornerback Randall Goforth on Twitter should be sent to jail.
"Obviously, I overreacted," the coach said. "Obviously I don't want the guy in jail. It made good headlines, I guess. I looked at it and go 'You're just an idiot,' but I'm good for something stupid said every once in a while, as we all know."
On Tuesday, Mora had some strong words for the person who created a phony Twitter account under Goforth's name and then engaged in trash-talking with USC receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee.
The tweets created a brief war of words on Twitter as Woods and Lee responded, thinking Goforth really was egging them on. It turned out Goforth doesn't even have a Twitter account.
Mora called the perpetrator a "scumbag," "the lowest form of life-form" and challenged him or her to come out to a UCLA practice. On Wednesday, he acknowledged emotions got the best of him as the father figure in him took over to protect Goforth.
"These guys, right now I feel like they are my kids," Mora said. "When someone attacks your kids, you get angry. ... You get attached to these kids, you just do. You pour your heart into it and at times it's hard to control your emotions. We have to work at it, but it's not easy."