Advertisement
Sports Now

Joe McKnight’s relationship with businessman being investigated by USC

By Mike Hiserman
Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

USC tailback Joe McKnight’s relationship with a Santa Monica businessman is being investigated by USC.

The Times has observed McKnight driving a late-model sport utility vehicle in the past few weeks, and it is registered to Scott Schenter, who has marketing in his career background and owned the website domain 4joemcknight.com and others related to USC.

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from accepting benefits from marketing agents or ‘extra benefits’ from anyone based on their athletic ability or potential. USC is already under NCAA investigation because of rules violations allegations against former football tailback Reggie Bush and former basketball star O.J. Mayo.

Questioned about the situation this week, McKnight denied driving the vehicle and said he didn’t know Schenter personally. The running back also said that his girlfriend, Johana Michelle Beltran, worked as a secretary for Schenter and that her father may have paid for the use of the car.

Advertisement

Full details: http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-joe-mcknight-usc19-2009dec19,0,2881407.story. USC is practicing this afternoon, and McKnight is participating. The Trojans will play Boston College Dec. 26 in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

--Mike Hiserman

Sports Now
Mike Hiserman

Mike Hiserman is former Sports editor of the Los Angeles Times. He wrote for the Long Beach Press Telegram and Orange County Register before joining The Times in 1982 and won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for investigative reporting on betting scams. Hiserman has been Sports editor of The Times’ San Fernando Valley and Orange County editions. He retired in November 2020.

Advertisement