Did Tim Floyd pass the bucks to O.J. Mayo’s handler?
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Ahh, the days of innocence. Those were about a week ago, when it was just the Dodgers and Lakers contending for biggest train wreck in LA.
Is the Trojans’ train heading off the tracks, too? Choo choo ...
Louis Johnson, a former member of O.J. Mayo‘s inner posse, is alleging that Trojan basketball coach Tim Floyd made a significant cash payment to Rodney Guillory, Mayo’s handler. Johnson first made the revelation to federal authorities a year ago, and would face criminal charges if he were lying. He has subsequently repeated his claims to the NCAA. As usual, there are more questions than answers.
If true, it’s crushing news for USC. Floyd’s career would be over, the basketball program would face stiff penalties, and the entire athletic program could be subject to punishment for lack of institutional control. The latter might be contingent on NCAA officials linking unrelated allegations about extra benefits to former football star Reggie Bush back to systemic problems within the athletic department. Or maybe it’s enough if a head coach in a revenue sport is handing out cash.
On the other hand, it’s frustrating when allegations are made but are virtually impossible to prove. To top it off, Johnson, a spurned member of Mayo’s posse with a pending book about the situation, didn’t actually see cash change hands. He does claim to have seen it moments later. Oh, and there are plenty of people who haven’t seemed too concerned about lying -- even under oath (I can think of one President, for starters).
With all the buzz around USC basketball the last couple of years, the charges mostly seem believable and, heck, not even surprising. But common sense forces us to ask if Floyd would be dumb enough to do such dirty work himself.
And if Johnson has been talking for a year, why has it taken so long for the NCAA to get the information?
For now, I can answer two questions for USC fans ...
No, USC is not likely to suffer the so-called ‘death penalty’ if today’s revelations are ultimately proven true. That usually happens when teams are already on probation, which USC is not. More likely punishments for the basketball team include going on probation, forfeiting games, a ban from postseason play, loss of scholarships, and perpetual mocking from the world of sports.
No, Yahoo doesn’t have it out for USC. It’s a common refrain on Internet message boards, and at this point it’s almost understandable. But word around the news business is that Yahoo has done plenty of work on investigations that don’t pan out ... USC just happens to be ripe for the picking. This latest story has been verified by L.A. Times staff, and more will be available on latimes.com shortly.
Parting thought:
Isn’t it curious that the father of former USC commit Renardo Sidney was allegedly seeking cash from the Trojans, too?
-- Adam Rose