Major Allegations Against O.J. Mayo

ESPN is reporting that O.J. Mayo received about $30,000 in improper benefits during his time at USC. Allegedly, the agency he signed with after leaving USC, Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management, has been funneling him money for years through a close friend named Rodney Guillory. A former member of O.J.'s posse, Louis Johnson, is now spilling his guts after being estranged from the inner circle since March.

When Mayo was in high school in Ohio and West Virginia, Guillory was receiving monthly payments from the Northern California sports agency Bill Duffy Associates. Johnson said BDA provided Guillory with around $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC, and that Guillory used most of the money to support his own lifestyle but also gave a portion of it to Mayo.

In exchange for the payments and gifts, Mayo entered into a verbal agreement to allow BDA represent him when he turned pro, Johnson told "Outside the Lines."

Providing athletes with money or other benefits is a violation, according to NCAA rules. In California, it's a misdemeanor for sports agents and their representatives to provide cash or gifts to student-athletes.

Johnson supplied expense receipts and money transfer orders to corroborate his account. Johnson seems to be the only one talking, but you can see statements from everybody else in the video above. After the jump is a video from ESPN's "Outside the Lines," which aired the story Sunday morning after a four-month investigation.

ESPN has a lengthy follow-up story about Guillory and the specific benefits allegedly received by Mayo:

In August 2007, a few days before the fall semester began at the University of Southern California, freshman basketball guard O.J. Mayo decided he needed some new clothes for school. His friends, Louis Johnson and Rodney Guillory, picked him up in Guillory's black Infiniti SUV and soon they were at a mall in Carson, Calif., picking out thousands of dollars of clothing.

The story goes on to talk about a flat screen TV, cellphones, meals and airline tickets.

Comments

[ben]

How is this in any way surprising?

[Who cares]

Ok, this is just business, the guy got close to Mayo, the Agency got close to the guy, and everybody is happy, except ESPN and the snitch.

This is what happens when they change the rules and you Must spend a year at college.

I am happy LeBron skipped this mess. :)