ESPN Report: Mayo Violated NCAA; Accepted Cash, Gifts at USC

[EnviedOne]

Free money. Gifts. Hotel rooms. All received while still a student athlete at USC. All from an agent in exchange for contract when turning pro. And we're not even talking about Reggie Bush any more.

On the heels of the Bush-Lake saga, comes a brand new scandal for Trojan Athletic Director Mike Garrett to play dress-up with. ESPN has broke with a story saying that OJ Mayo allegedly accepted approximately $30,000 dollars in cash, gifts and cellphone services over the past four years from Rodney Guillory, on behalf of the Nor-Cal sports agency Bill Duffy and Associates (BDA).

The source of the information: Louis Johnson, Mayo's (ex)friend. How reliable is this Johnson fellow? Well he previously "received a suspended sentence and probation after being charged with selling cocaine." Not exactly the pinnacle of moral values. But then again neither is Mr. Guillory, who was also "involved with former USC basketball player Jeff Trepagnier, who was suspended in 2000 for taking illegal benefits."

And of the whole fiasco, projected lottery pick OJ Mayo issued this statement:

"I am focusing on the process of making my dream come true, which is to play professional basketball. I will not allow these allegations to become a distraction to me and my family. I have been through investigations by the NCAA, the Pac Ten and USC before I attended school and during the time I have been here. I have not engaged in any wrongdoing. If these claims were true I would suspect they would have been discovered by one of these organizations."

Either way, this ain't no floor seats to see the Nuggets anymore...



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