Mayo Stuff That Doesn't Sit Right

Pat Forde wrote a scathing column that opens:

In a just world, USC basketball would have something in common with SMU football in the near future. The death penalty.

Yeouch. Seems a little harsh this early, but his biggest argument is one that needs to be addressed:

The swag allegedly was financed by a man named Rodney Guillory, who previously had gotten former USC guard Jeff Trepagnier in trouble for accepting agent kickbacks. Not only did that fail to get Guillory banned from campus, he wound up a fixture within the program. Of course, who wouldn't want a 43-year-old scammer hanging around a college freshman?

According to transcripts from OTL's interviews with Johnson, Guillory was sitting in the USC basketball offices when Mayo's signed letter-of-intent rolled off the fax machine. Johnson also said coach Tim Floyd talked frequently with Guillory about Mayo, whenever "issues" arose.

USC reportedly had no idea any Mayo was allegedly receiving any such benefits (Forde's nuts if he thinks USC should be kicking down Mayo's dorm door to check for new TVs). The school was hyper-attentive in telling the NCAA that Mayo had received free tickets to an NBA game from childhood friend Carmelo Anthony. However, the Trepagnier-Guillory history warrants some serious questions. If the school gets in trouble, this is where the issue of "institutional control" might come into play.

There was a line in the long-form ESPN story that also made me go hmmmmm:

Around Christmas in December, Johnson said Mayo surprised him with a gift of $1,000 in cash for what Mayo termed as "being his guy and being loyal to him." Johnson admitted that he hoped to profit more once the player made it to the NBA.

Mayo has a single mother and seven siblings, so money is pretty tight. Initially something about that claim didn't sound right, but then I realized illicit money doesn't flow through Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Finally, I was amused that O.J. Mayo's statement, as released through ESPN, doesn't sound anything like O.J. Mayo. He's a smart kid and I'm sure he could write a fine statement, but this just didn't sound like him. They grow up hire people so fast.

Comments

[Ryan]

Way to get the story again LA Times - Opps sorry Yahoo and ESPN beat the hometown paper again. Lucky this is not sports or your whole staff would be fired for never getting a hit. Or worse yet, is the LA Times not reporting anything negative regarding SC on purpose?

[Vince]

Guillory is hanging around in the USC AD, and I'm supposed to believe that no one knew that he was hooked up with OJ Mayo? Floyd claims that Mayo was a poor kid who had nothing, yet he had a falt screen TV in his dorm room, plenty of clothes and spending money and no one asked a question at USC?

In the wake of the Reggie Bush thing, where his parents lived rent free in a house for a year and allegedly took money, this looks really bad.

As for the Mayo/Nuggets ticklets thing, USC only stepped forward AFTER the story broke in the media. Don't get it twisted!

[gerrrg]

Rhett Bomar.

If you pay back all your benefits to charity, all is forgiven. Call it cynical, but the guy is playing at Sam Houston State, despite having gotten University of Oklahoma into trouble with the NCAA.

On the one hand, the NCAA doesn't trust athletes so it relies on schools to monitor their actions. On the other hand, when an athlete goes bad, the NCAA trusts the athlete won't make the same mistake, but punishes the school for not monitoring the athlete's actions.

Go figure.

[trojanman]

Remember to take it with a grain of salt, as Johnson is also a convicted ex-felon. A rush to judgement by Forde, for sure. Where does a university draw the line? We are an academic institution with a very limited sports admin budget, not a global investigative service or a professional sports team. SMU had boosters and university employees paying kids. SC did not directly or knowingly violate a thing. These are sports agents doing their dirty work away from campus. How can SC possibly police that?

[justicefirst]

trojanman, you are a naive fool if you think SC can't or shouldn't be responsible for the actions of its athletes on and off campus. It's called institutional control and its one of many tasks SC administration is paid to do. Will there be severe consequences? No, too much money at stake for the NCAA to seriously investigate. They'll go after Arkansas AT&I or Florida International, but not one of the big dogs.
No real harm done, no blood shed, but SC is totally responsible.

[DE#83]

As an SC alum and one associated with the athletic department, I'm saddened to see this play out and disappointed in the path SC has taken.

Floyd is no stranger to college b-ball. He knew, and has all but said, that he sold his soul to the devil by signing Mayo. Mayo would be there a year, and came to LA only to make a name for himself - the "Mayo brand." Garrett, donors, administration...they all needed to let Floyd know that he can turn away potential problems without fear of being fired. As an alum and donor, I would never counsel a coach or AD to sell out the tradition of a school for one deep tournament run.

SC needs ban agents and street runners from campus. Period. Any coach working those contacts needs to be dismissed. Any hint of impropriety by players or their families should warrant an immediate suspension, if not outright dismissal.

There are plenty of honest, stud players clamoring to be a part of the SC family. We don't need to take on gifted, but problematic cases. Why sell out, or even give that impression. It will bury the athletic department.

[Amy Stoody]

A poor kid going to USC and living among the wealthy students will always be tempted; the question is how far the school is supposed to go to ensure that they don't succumb. While they can't be everywhere to check up on the player's activities, it certainly looks bad when the "runner" is sitting in USC's basketball office when Mayo's acceptance fax comes through, especially after the Jeff Trepagnir fiasco and the admission of Tito Maddox to the same conduct from Johnson. USC needs to distance itself from those influences, even if they do promise "to deliver" players that may benefit the roster.