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  • Menelaus (I presume named after the king of Greece who fought Troy) has compiled a lengthy list of allegations against USC. The comment section gets a little spicy, and it was picked up by Deadspin. [Bruins Nation]

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Talkin' Mayo II

Yesterday I spoke with ESPN's "Outside the Lines," which broke the O.J. Mayo story on Sunday.

[Ed note: Due to technical difficulties the clip was not appearing in this post, but now that has been cleared up, so enjoy]

Good Kid, Bad Situation

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... the case that O.J. Mayo got caught with his hand in the cookie jar appears to be strong.

Despite a very earnest and categorical denial Wednesday, there's a long way to go before Mayo can be cleared. To me, the biggest sticking point is that Andy Katz (ESPN) called Mayo on his cellphone, and the bill for that number was apparently paid for by a credit card under Rodney Guillory's name. That seems pretty incriminating, though I'd still love to see those documents released.

Regardless of how this plays out -- even if he took more than $30,000 in extra benefits -- I'd like to be the first one to say that O.J. Mayo is really a great kid.

Except I'm not. Not even close. Reporter after reporter, columnist after columnist, coach after coach, has gone on the record to say that O.J. Mayo is poised, respectful and seems to have great character.

Despite this apparent blemish, all the hype holds true.

If there's one thing that people should take away from today's article it's these two lines:

  • Mayo had just completed his last school final when he paused to speak to a reporter.
  • Following the interview, Mayo slipped into a new red Porsche Cayenne GTS with two friends and drove off, saying he was headed to Chicago for workouts in advance of next month's NBA draft.

A Porsche. A posse. Why would O.J. Mayo bother taking a freshman class final? A promise.

A couple of months ago, I heard Mayo reiterate his pledge to Coach Tim Floyd that he would finish the semester. He didn't have to. Heck, the year before three players just stopped going to class.

But that wasn't like Mayo. He finished up, even though technically nothing could make him -- except himself.

That says something about this young man.

It also speaks volumes about the situation that surrounded him. As a high school player, he was 12 months from his first shiny red Porsche. In the interim, USC sold No. 32 basketball jerseys in the bookstore for $75. To put that in perspective, the store sold a football jersey for $15 less -- and it actually came with sleeves.

Mayo was also paid an NCAA-approved monthly stipend of $450 (or six jerseys) and he was expected to keep his nose clean. Maybe that wasn't enough. Maybe the NBA should have let him in earlier or threatened to punish rookies who break these sorts of rules.

There's a great story that Mayo once declined a free cookie because it might be an NCAA violation. But if you give a mouse a cookie ...

Mayo Responds in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

Ben Bolch interviewed O.J. Mayo today and will have a story online in just a few minutes.

Mayo was very open about things and earnest in his denial of the allegations.

UPDATE: Here's the first version of the story.

Wednesday Hot Links

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Football

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Can'd Camera

About a month ago the USC football program* released a goofy video featuring tight end coach Brennan Carroll (Pete's son) putting prospective walk-ons through the paces and hamming it up. Initial reaction was either positive or mildly perplexed. Apparently opinions headed south and now the program has decided to yank it off of YouTube. That follows allegations that Rick Neuheisel used it to recruit against USC and Deadspin's blasting the video. A lot was made over the use of profanity, which we all know is prohibited in footba ... wait. Nevermind.

Humor is very subjective. Most of this stuff is targeted to recruits and I doubt that's who was complaining. This particular video was full of absurdity, with delivery varying from deadpan to eccentric. Here are a few actual lines from the video and who I could picture saying them:

Peter Griffin: "Whistle! Whistle! Whistle! Good. I don't have a whistle. I just say whistle."

Dr. Gregory House: When told they don't have enough stopwatches to do two drills at once: "We don't need 'em. I'll do it in my head."

Denny Crane: "I don't necessarily need to check my watch to know it's time to go."

Eric Cartman (or perhaps said to him): "This is dog wosh. Those shorts are way too tight for you. Way too tight on the shorts."

Michael Scott: When asked if there were any prospects: "Zero. But they could all make it."

My guess is that there's some sort of generation gap. I wonder if people upset about the video could identify at least two of these five characters. Then again, Deadspin and Gutty Little Bruins both skew toward the right demographic, and neither one liked it. Obviously if you don't like (or get) the humor, Brennan Carroll might look like a pretty big jerk. And profanity, although beeped, might not be appropriate for younger recruits. So ... what say you?

* The video was produced by TrojanTV All Access and released on PeteCarroll.com and USCRipsIt.com.

O.J. F.A.Q. 1.0

The O.J. Mayo situation continues to evolve and has left people with a lot of questions. Over the coming weeks I'll try to break down the situation with an ever-evolving F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions). This is version 1.0. If you're in a rush, I'll boil my opinion down to one sentence:

O.J. Mayo broke the rules and Tim Floyd had better start explaining things.

Read more "O.J. F.A.Q. 1.0" »

Talkin' Mayo

I'm working on a post called O.J. F.A.Q. 1.0, which will go up soon. In the meantime, here's a clip of me trying to put some perspective on the whole O.J. Mayo situation.

Thanks to "First Take" for having me on this morning. I think I swapped a "Rodney" for "Ronald." I also want to be clear that everything at this stage is a Star Jones special: "allegedly." I used the term a few times but I probably could have used it more. Regardless, I think some of the ESPN discoveries about alleged extra benefits are practically irrefutable. More on that in the FAQ.

Hey NBA, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Yo! NBA Logo! Help the NCAA! There have been a lot of headaches this off season in college hoops. Regardless of how many individuals are at fault, one institution lacking control is the NBA.

A few years ago the suits at the NBA were concerned about their image. Hello, dress code! I have no idea what that solved, but they still haven't adequately addressed a fundamental problem -- one with a bigger influence on how they develop players to represent the league.

The NBA and their farm system the NCAA have a dysfunctional relationship. In a league in which some players have a bad reputation for baby-mama drama, the organization responsible for the league's diaper dandies has been left downright impotent.

Earlier this week I tried to explain to a friend why Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Lodrick Stewart bolted for the NBA before finishing their semester at USC in spring 2007 -- costing the school two scholarships.

"Why couldn't they punish the players?" she asked.

I pointed out that no sanction leveled by USC or the NCAA would affect them. As pros, they were already ineligible to play in college. Taking away their scholarships has zero effect because they make six or seven figures per year in the NBA. Plus what are the odds they really want to finish school?

She mused that it's too bad the NBA can't punish them.

Four days later I was telling her why USC and the NCAA had no practical recourse against O.J. Mayo for allegedly receiving $30,000 in illicit benefits.

Again, she mused that it's too bad the NBA can't punish him.

Again, she was right.

The NBA should punish rookies who fail to meet the most basic off-court expectations.

Read more "Hey NBA, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!" »

Monday Hot Links

Football (Alumni)

Hoops

Elsewhere

  • There was only one team No. 3 USC couldn't beat this year in women's water polo. After upsetting No. 2 Stanford for the second tournament semifinal in a row, the Trojans suffered their fourth loss to UCLA this season. This one was in the national championship game.
  • Rutgers football coach explains why he told Notre Dame to take a hike. [NYT Quad Blog]

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Our Blogger

Adam Rose learned about the highs and lows of USC athletics while going to school. As a freshman, he watched the football team crash to the bottom of the Pac 10. By the time he was a senior, he was in the stands for a National Championship. In between, he liked to argue points as a member of the Trojan Debate Squad. Nowadays, he's just looking to tell a good story. He is currently Sports Editor for LAist, where he covers a wide range of local action. He can also be seen weekly on KNBC 4's News Raw. Adam manages special events in the sports community when he isn't participating himself (he staggered through the LA Marathon and can often be found on local soccer fields). If you have a question about the Trojans or just want to give him a piece of your mind, email: adam@laist.com.

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