Other Sports USC/Mayo invloved in illegal gifts - Page 2

kstater · 05-11-2008, 01:22 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3390695

Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo's inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo's dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo's friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts.

When Mayo was in high school in Ohio and West Virginia, Guillory was receiving monthly payments from the Northern California sports agency Bill Duffy Associates. Johnson said BDA provided Guillory with around $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC, and that Guillory used most of the money to support his own lifestyle but also gave a portion of it to Mayo.

Forde: USC Should Have Known

On the heels of the Reggie Bush debacle, USC should be crushed by the NCAA, the Pac-10 and its own administration for the latest revelations about O.J. Mayo, writes Pat Forde. Column

In exchange for the payments and gifts, Mayo entered a verbal agreement to allow BDA to represent him when he turned pro, Johnson told "Outside the Lines."

Providing athletes with money or other benefits is a violation, according to NCAA rules. In California, it's a misdemeanor for sports agents and their representatives to provide cash or gifts to student-athletes.

Mayo played one season at USC before declaring for the NBA draft in April. He named BDA's Calvin Andrews his agent.

Johnson also said that Duffy's company helped Guillory purchase a $50,000 Infiniti SUV from a Northern California car dealership co-owned by former USC and San Francisco 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott and his 49ers teammate, Keena Turner.

After Duffy's company quit funding Guillory last year, Johnson says Guillory gave Mayo the flat-screen television, a hotel room and meals -- and paid for it with a credit card that belongs to a nonprofit organization called "The National Organization of Sickle Cell Prevention and Awareness Foundation." The organization has never been registered as a charitable trust with the California Attorney General's Office. Mary E. Brown, president and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, said she had never heard of the foundation for which Guillory charged purchases through.

Johnson provided "Outside the Lines" with receipts and invoices for many of the purchases, including the cell phone service.

More on Mayo

The story of O.J. Mayo, Louis Johnson and Rodney Guillory is a unique and complex one. ESPN's Kelly Naqi has additional details. Story

Johnson said he believes USC officials were unaware that Guillory was providing cash and other benefits to Mayo. He did say that members of the USC coaching staff had regular contact with Guillory.

Guillory was also involved with former USC basketball player Jeff Trepagnier, who was suspended in 2000 for taking illegal benefits (the NCAA ruled that Guillory had purchased airfare for Trepagnier and Fresno State's Tito Maddox).

Mayo, officials at Bill Duffy Associates and officials at USC all declined to be interviewed by "Outside the Lines."

In a statement, Mayo said: "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."

Of Guillory, Mayo said in his statement: "Rodney has been a positive influence on me as well as a strong African-American male presence in my life. Recently, my mother had the opportunity to spend time with Rodney as well, and has shared her appreciation for the way he has always treated me like I was family when I was so far away from home. I have nothing but respect for Rodney."

Duffy and Andrews said in a statement: "In the competitive environment of our business, these types of unsubstantiated assertions occur every year, particularly at this time. Our mission will continue to focus on the business of our current and prospective clients and let the record of our hard work, adherence to rules and regulations, and client satisfaction, speak for itself."

USC issued a statement, saying: "The NCAA and the Pac-10 reviewed O.J. Mayo's amateur status before and during his enrollment at USC, and did not identify any amateurism violations. Mayo and USC fully cooperated in these investigations. The University investigated and reported a violation involving Mayo's receipt of tickets to a Denver Nuggets game from his friend Carmelo Anthony. Mayo's eligibility was reinstated after he made a charitable contribution in the amount of the value of the tickets."

Johnson told ESPN he didn't get paid, but hoped to profit once Mayo made it to the NBA. He said he fell out of favor with Mayo because Guillory created a strain in the relationship by misrepresenting things Johnson allegedly said about Mayo and, eventually, sabotaging their relationship.

ClevelandBronco · 05-11-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcxiv

imo, thats totally different, guys in the NFL are already pretty darn rich. This is a 18 year old por kid taking money because he's never seen it.

I don't blame the kid. I blame the sports program that knows that he's driving a $50k vehicle that he can't afford.

smittysbar · 05-11-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

I don't blame the kid. I blame the sports program that knows that he's driving a $50k vehicle that he can't afford.

QFT

Braincase · 05-11-2008, 04:34 PM

Somewhere in Lawrence, Roderick Stewart is taking a break from studying for finals to laugh his ass off.

beach tribe · 05-11-2008, 05:10 PM

Yea, there's no way these kids can say no to that. I'm sure I wouldn't have, but USC, and the vampires should get what's coming to them.

Adept Havelock · 05-11-2008, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

I hope that we don't see any of you who were expressing outrage over Spygate posting that this is "no big deal because everyone cheats."

On any other team, these givers of illegal gifts would be backups. [/Mecca]

GoHuge · 05-11-2008, 05:54 PM

I'm sorry to say that with all this top 10 talent USC has Bush and Mayo are probably just scraping the surface. Bush and his family where alot smarter about. Mayo has a paper trail that is years long. At least his Mom was smart enough to know that guy was a POS.

chief52 · 05-11-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

I don't blame the kid. I blame the sports program that knows that he's driving a $50k vehicle that he can't afford.

While this may sometimes be true, I do not believe Mayo had a $50k car...so USC would not have had to deal with that.

ROYC75 · 05-11-2008, 08:21 PM

Is anybody surprised by this ?

Especially after the Reggie Bush fiasco ?

**Buehler445** · 05-11-2008, 09:26 PM

I saw a little bit of this story today on ESPN. It appeared ESPN actually did an in-depth report. First time in a long time that I can remember. Anyway, a couple of things stood out at me.

First, this guy's covering it up was terrible. Someone must not be looking too hard if they couldn't find this guy. Holy cow.

Second, the part that I saw didn't seem like he took much money. Reggie Bush took an assload of money, IIRC.

I find myself thinking pretty heavily about this. I really don't think I could blame the kid. Granted I'm not in their shoes, but I just got out of college. If someone offers me a few bucks to keep my head above water, my ass is taking it. But again I'm not in their shoes. If I were surviving, and it jeopardized my future (especially if I were to make lottery pick money), I could turn shit down.

The kid should have turned the money down. But I can't really blame him for taking it. I think the blame lies with the university. They have the most to lose IMO. The kid will get drafted, he may not get drafted as high, but he will get drafted. He will probably have to pay some money, but he's gonna have a good bit so WTF. The school though, maybe hurting because of this deal. If I'm an AD at any university right now, I'm going to have a come to Jesus meeting with all of my coaches, players, and staff about what's legal, what's not and what we can do to prevent this shit.

I guess bottom line is the kid should have turned down the cash, and the school should have done more to try to prevent it. Pipe dreams I know, but that's the way it should be.

**alanm** · 05-11-2008, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doomy3

This happens at every university, USC is just singled out.

/Mecca

Is the fall of Troy beginning?

kcxiv · 05-11-2008, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I saw a little bit of this story today on ESPN. It appeared ESPN actually did an in-depth report. First time in a long time that I can remember. Anyway, a couple of things stood out at me.

First, this guy's covering it up was terrible. Someone must not be looking too hard if they couldn't find this guy. Holy cow.

Second, the part that I saw didn't seem like he took much money. Reggie Bush took an assload of money, IIRC.

I find myself thinking pretty heavily about this. I really don't think I could blame the kid. Granted I'm not in their shoes, but I just got out of college. If someone offers me a few bucks to keep my head above water, my ass is taking it. But again I'm not in their shoes. If I were surviving, and it jeopardized my future (especially if I were to make lottery pick money), I could turn shit down.

The kid should have turned the money down. But I can't really blame him for taking it. I think the blame lies with the university. They have the most to lose IMO. The kid will get drafted, he may not get drafted as high, but he will get drafted. He will probably have to pay some money, but he's gonna have a good bit so WTF. The school though, maybe hurting because of this deal. If I'm an AD at any university right now, I'm going to have a come to Jesus meeting with all of my coaches, players, and staff about what's legal, what's not and what we can do to prevent this shit.

I guess bottom line is the kid should have turned down the cash, and the school should have done more to try to prevent it. Pipe dreams I know, but that's the way it should be.

It wont hurt his stock 1 bit. I dont think NBA teams give a shit if he's that good a talent. Its not going to hurt them in their NBA career.

05-11-2008, 01:22 PM
kstater Custom User Title Join Date: Jan 2007 Casino cash: $-1673437	USC/Mayo invloved in illegal gifts http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3390695 Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines." Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo's inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo's dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo's friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts. When Mayo was in high school in Ohio and West Virginia, Guillory was receiving monthly payments from the Northern California sports agency Bill Duffy Associates. Johnson said BDA provided Guillory with around $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC, and that Guillory used most of the money to support his own lifestyle but also gave a portion of it to Mayo. Forde: USC Should Have Known On the heels of the Reggie Bush debacle, USC should be crushed by the NCAA, the Pac-10 and its own administration for the latest revelations about O.J. Mayo, writes Pat Forde. Column In exchange for the payments and gifts, Mayo entered a verbal agreement to allow BDA to represent him when he turned pro, Johnson told "Outside the Lines." Providing athletes with money or other benefits is a violation, according to NCAA rules. In California, it's a misdemeanor for sports agents and their representatives to provide cash or gifts to student-athletes. Mayo played one season at USC before declaring for the NBA draft in April. He named BDA's Calvin Andrews his agent. Johnson also said that Duffy's company helped Guillory purchase a $50,000 Infiniti SUV from a Northern California car dealership co-owned by former USC and San Francisco 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott and his 49ers teammate, Keena Turner. After Duffy's company quit funding Guillory last year, Johnson says Guillory gave Mayo the flat-screen television, a hotel room and meals -- and paid for it with a credit card that belongs to a nonprofit organization called "The National Organization of Sickle Cell Prevention and Awareness Foundation." The organization has never been registered as a charitable trust with the California Attorney General's Office. Mary E. Brown, president and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, said she had never heard of the foundation for which Guillory charged purchases through. Johnson provided "Outside the Lines" with receipts and invoices for many of the purchases, including the cell phone service. More on Mayo The story of O.J. Mayo, Louis Johnson and Rodney Guillory is a unique and complex one. ESPN's Kelly Naqi has additional details. Story Johnson said he believes USC officials were unaware that Guillory was providing cash and other benefits to Mayo. He did say that members of the USC coaching staff had regular contact with Guillory. Guillory was also involved with former USC basketball player Jeff Trepagnier, who was suspended in 2000 for taking illegal benefits (the NCAA ruled that Guillory had purchased airfare for Trepagnier and Fresno State's Tito Maddox). Mayo, officials at Bill Duffy Associates and officials at USC all declined to be interviewed by "Outside the Lines." In a statement, Mayo said: "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." Of Guillory, Mayo said in his statement: "Rodney has been a positive influence on me as well as a strong African-American male presence in my life. Recently, my mother had the opportunity to spend time with Rodney as well, and has shared her appreciation for the way he has always treated me like I was family when I was so far away from home. I have nothing but respect for Rodney." Duffy and Andrews said in a statement: "In the competitive environment of our business, these types of unsubstantiated assertions occur every year, particularly at this time. Our mission will continue to focus on the business of our current and prospective clients and let the record of our hard work, adherence to rules and regulations, and client satisfaction, speak for itself." USC issued a statement, saying: "The NCAA and the Pac-10 reviewed O.J. Mayo's amateur status before and during his enrollment at USC, and did not identify any amateurism violations. Mayo and USC fully cooperated in these investigations. The University investigated and reported a violation involving Mayo's receipt of tickets to a Denver Nuggets game from his friend Carmelo Anthony. Mayo's eligibility was reinstated after he made a charitable contribution in the amount of the value of the tickets." Johnson told ESPN he didn't get paid, but hoped to profit once Mayo made it to the NBA. He said he fell out of favor with Mayo because Guillory created a strain in the relationship by misrepresenting things Johnson allegedly said about Mayo and, eventually, sabotaging their relationship.
Posts: 40,007

05-11-2008, 04:34 PM	#18
Braincase Banned Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Pond> Me <Barn Casino cash: $11298284	Somewhere in Lawrence, Roderick Stewart is taking a break from studying for finals to laugh his ass off. __________________ BrainCase
Posts: 15,429

05-11-2008, 05:10 PM	#19
beach tribe Keep doubting J MFing Houston Join Date: May 2007 Location: ft.lauderdale Casino cash: $3898036	Yea, there's no way these kids can say no to that. I'm sure I wouldn't have, but USC, and the vampires should get what's coming to them.
Posts: 21,429

05-11-2008, 05:54 PM	#21
GoHuge The Truth Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10006072	I'm sorry to say that with all this top 10 talent USC has Bush and Mayo are probably just scraping the surface. Bush and his family where alot smarter about. Mayo has a paper trail that is years long. At least his Mom was smart enough to know that guy was a POS.
Posts: 3,991

05-11-2008, 08:21 PM	#23
ROYC75 Time For Your Wake Up Call !!! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Barn Yard Casino cash: $2130400	Is anybody surprised by this ? Especially after the Reggie Bush fiasco ? __________________ Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it. John Lennon
Posts: 37,976

05-11-2008, 09:26 PM	#24
Buehler445 Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Scott City KS Casino cash: $-1595266	I saw a little bit of this story today on ESPN. It appeared ESPN actually did an in-depth report. First time in a long time that I can remember. Anyway, a couple of things stood out at me. First, this guy's covering it up was terrible. Someone must not be looking too hard if they couldn't find this guy. Holy cow. Second, the part that I saw didn't seem like he took much money. Reggie Bush took an assload of money, IIRC. I find myself thinking pretty heavily about this. I really don't think I could blame the kid. Granted I'm not in their shoes, but I just got out of college. If someone offers me a few bucks to keep my head above water, my ass is taking it. But again I'm not in their shoes. If I were surviving, and it jeopardized my future (especially if I were to make lottery pick money), I could turn shit down. The kid should have turned the money down. But I can't really blame him for taking it. I think the blame lies with the university. They have the most to lose IMO. The kid will get drafted, he may not get drafted as high, but he will get drafted. He will probably have to pay some money, but he's gonna have a good bit so WTF. The school though, maybe hurting because of this deal. If I'm an AD at any university right now, I'm going to have a come to Jesus meeting with all of my coaches, players, and staff about what's legal, what's not and what we can do to prevent this shit. I guess bottom line is the kid should have turned down the cash, and the school should have done more to try to prevent it. Pipe dreams I know, but that's the way it should be.
Posts: 60,023