Mayo Reacts

Earlier I mentioned that the written statement released by O.J. Mayo didn't sound like O.J. Mayo. However, these quotes seem a lot more natural:

• "I don't know anything about it. It caught me by surprise. I've got to get to L.A. to see what's going on. I'm just focusing on the draft."
• "I had no knowledge of anything like that. I'll find our more when I meet with Mr. Duffy and Mr. [Calvin] Andrews [of BDA]," Mayo said.
• When asked specifically if he received any money from Guillory, Mayo said, "No sir, I did not receive any money from Calvin or Rodney or anything. It all caught me by surprise."
• "I would just like to know if I did [get money] where did the money go. I was a struggling college student like everyone else. I bicycled to class. The truth will come out, even though the perception is reality."

I've been around Mayo on quite a few occasions, though always in some sort of basketball arena. He's very composed. He strikes me as a good kid. It's entirely possible that he's wrongfully getting his name dragged through the mud.

At the same time, ESPN was very diligent in its reporting, going so far as to check with employees at clothing stores that Mayo allegedly frequented. USC has had previous bad experiences with Guillory. There's a lot of investigating yet to be done.

Comments

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Why is this happening, Garrett needs to wake up or become the AD at his HS

[dbmitch]

Correct me if I am wrong. It is not illegal to have someone buy you clothes or a flat screen tv if you have been a long time friend of the family as long as you do not have a connection to the university or are an associate of an agency.

Giving Mayo the benefit of the doubt, Guillon befriended Mayo when he was very young. He probably bought the kid the stuff, acting as a mentor for a fatherless young man. Mayo probably didn't know where the money was coming from at that time.

It is possible that Mayo never knew the money was coming from BDA indirectly.

In hindsight, it is possible that his meeting and becoming friends with Melo was not just by chance. It is also possible that Mayo knew what was going on. Let's also keep in mind that this relationship was created before the "one year" rule was created, when the idea of Mayo having to go to college for one year was not on anyone's radar. Its not an NBA rule that you cannot accept money from an agent.

I'll let this play itself out before I jump to conclusions like 90% of the fans usually do. Guillon is the bad guy in this story, not Mayo.

[silverake bruin]

why does yahoo sports have to break the Bush story and ESPN breka the Mayo story? Why is the LA Times covering up all the garbage going on at USC?

[gerrrg]

Silverake bruin..

because the war in iraq, the lackluster economy and the upcoming 2008 elections are more important?

Or that the people that are making these allegations chose to approach a national media outlet with their information so that they could get the widest distribution of their accusations.

Don't worry...there's a lot of time for the LA Times to catch up and find the story within the story.

[AW]

Hey DBMitch,

Good point, but after awhile trying to play the I'm just ignorant card would allow every athlete to say the same thing. It would also allow every sports agent to hire a confidant to befriend and athlete and spend $$ on presents. It does not sound like OJ was just receiving a couple of $10 t-shirts and getting a free burger at McDonalds!

Hey I'm your buddy, let's go buy you a car and pay the rent for your mommy's house, I don't think an athlete as articulate and smart as OJ would be that naive.

Maybe the solution is to throw the agents in prison and take away their licenses. Then place a penalty on the athlete by saying he can't be drafted in the 1st round and is required to sign a 1 yr contract at the league minimum $'s.

AW