ot: mayo a confirmed cheat since 9th grade

[billiken_roy]

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

espn devoted almost the entire "outside the lines" program this morning to this story. imo there is more of this that happens than we hear about.

i wish someone would give me a new infinity to go to college.

[slu72]

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

espn devoted almost the entire "outside the lines" program this morning to this story. imo there is more of this that happens than we hear about.

i wish someone would give me a new infinity to go to college.

You're surprised by this? OJ Mayo's been aiming for the NBA since his Soph year in HS. He just sped up the contract process a little bit. Also, you wonder how many times the NCAA's going to let USC get away with the Sgt. Schultz defense: "I know nothing....nothing!"

[billiken_roy]

of course i am not surprised by it. but i think it is interesting. i watched the discovery on espn this morning and they had confirmed accounts, copies of receipts, pictures and video galore. yet not a word is heard by the ncaa? amazing that espn can gather such but the ncaa has nothing.

its all about who you are. usc is old school. ronnie lott is a hall of famer. when mayo unexpectedly switched gears and headed to usc last year it was puzzling. a lot more makes sense now.

[Guest BillikenReport]

Roy,

You're getting this story wrong.

Mayo didn't get the Infinity SUV. The runner between Mayo and the agent did.

The runner bought the SUV from Lott's dealership. Again, not Mayo.

[billiken_roy]

Roy,

You're getting this story wrong.

Mayo didn't get the Infinity SUV. The runner between Mayo and the agent did.

The runner bought the SUV from Lott's dealership. Again, not Mayo.

but oj drove the infinity. same difference.

[Guest BillikenReport]

but oj drove the infinity. same difference.

I didn't hear that mentioned.

[kevinfootes]

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

espn devoted almost the entire "outside the lines" program this morning to this story. imo there is more of this that happens than we hear about.

i wish someone would give me a new infinity to go to college.

My take on this is pretty simple. Cheating like this should be a crime for BOTH the booster and the player. If you're over 18 and take money or other illegal benefits it should be a crime.

[slu72]

My take on this is pretty simple. Cheating like this should be a crime for BOTH the booster and the player. If you're over 18 and take money or other illegal benefits it should be a crime.

A crime? You want them to get jail time? Over the top. But coming down hard on a program should be mandatory. The NCAA plays pattycake with the big boys. They should have slammed Ohio State for all the crap going on with Clarett and the hoops program a few years back. Sorry, Coach Biancardi, but you guys were way out of bounds and out of control. If the NCAA had any cujones they'd nail a big time school with a two year death penalty, ie no competition allowed, and watch the rest of them fall into line real quick. For example, say they nailed a USC with this; sorry you're not playing by the rules with Mayo and R. Bush. We know you know what went down. And if you didn't, you're not doing enough to control this stuff. USC, you're fired for two years, shut down your athletic dept. You can't even field a water polo team. See you again in 2011. When you can start to recruit again. You don't think a bunch of schools would sit up and take notice? I realize this is naive because of the $$$ involved with the bigs, but dammit this is the only way to stop this crap. The NCAA needs a Judge Landis or Bart Giamatti type to be their president.

[Clock_Tower]

A crime? You want them to get jail time? Over the top. But coming down hard on a program should be mandatory. The NCAA plays pattycake with the big boys. They should have slammed Ohio State for all the crap going on with Clarett and the hoops program a few years back. Sorry, Coach Biancardi, but you guys were way out of bounds and out of control. If the NCAA had any cujones they'd nail a big time school with a two year death penalty, ie no competition allowed, and watch the rest of them fall into line real quick. For example, say they nailed a USC with this; sorry you're not playing by the rules with Mayo and R. Bush. We know you know what went down. And if you didn't, you're not doing enough to control this stuff. USC, you're fired for two years, shut down your athletic dept. You can't even field a water polo team. See you again in 2011. When you can start to recruit again. You don't think a bunch of schools would sit up and take notice? I realize this is naive because of the $$$ involved with the bigs, but dammit this is the only way to stop this crap. The NCAA needs a Judge Landis or Bart Giamatti type to be their president.

I would love the NCAA to take such action - just limit the penalty to the sport involved (spare the water polo team and others). Would also want a deal reaced whereby the NBA would honor/protect the colleges/NCAA as well. Coaches and players should not be allowed to leave a mess at the college level as they move on to the NBA without consequences. Whether the NBA implements a ban by agreeing to impose their own ban upon players and coaches equal to that assessed by the NCAA or the schools/NCAA are allowed to collect monetarily from the paychecks of the rule-breaking players and coaches.

Assuming he is in demand, Kelvin Sampson should not be able to land on his feet in the NBA untouched. Nor should OJ Mayo.

[boomerang]

of course i am not surprised by it. but i think it is interesting. i watched the discovery on espn this morning and they had confirmed accounts, copies of receipts, pictures and video galore. yet not a word is heard by the ncaa? amazing that espn can gather such but the ncaa has nothing.

its all about who you are. usc is old school. ronnie lott is a hall of famer. when mayo unexpectedly switched gears and headed to usc last year it was puzzling. a lot more makes sense now.

That goes hand in hand with this article. Floyd wasn't even recruiting Mayo apparently, until --

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/sports/n...amp;oref=slogin

Ronald Guillory - the "stranger" that approached Floyd about Mayo is mentioned in this ESPN article also --

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-32-1...Basketball.html

[billiken_roy]

i have long believed the answer to the ncaa player problem (or at least make police work a lot easier) is not to focus on financial cheating, but to focus on an attempt to make sure all universities are truly recruiting true student athletes.

let the idiot boosters that want to send cash in envelopes, buy cars and jewelry etc spend all they want. but you throw 100% of the police work in making sure that schools are recruiting and enrolling true student athletes. hardcore on high school gpa, required course work, ACT and SAT scores, etc. next, no breaks on academics whatsoever when in college. they will be in real classes, they will be taking their own tests, writing their own papers, etc. they will be passing full time classwork. they will be on pace to graduate. they will graduate. if the "student athletes" are not doing this, then come down hard on scholarships.

what will happen is the character and quality of the typical student athlete will skyrocket and those that are looking at college only as a step to the pros will find another means.

of course apparently the ncaa thinks that no one wants to watch ncaa sports unless the reggie bush's and oj mayo's are part of the scene. personally, i am completely turned off by the likes of such players.

there is a reason the ncaa is a ratings bonanza and the nba is beneath it. if the typical sports fan wanted to see only the best players, wouldnt it make more sense that the nba would have the better ratings? i contend the typical sports fan still wants to cling to a subliminal belief that the college game is more pure plus they would rather cheer for the team than the player. it has amazed me that the ncaa apparently doesnt agree with that thought.

[slufanskip]

My take on this is pretty simple. Cheating like this should be a crime for BOTH the booster and the player. If you're over 18 and take money or other illegal benefits it should be a crime.

just curious ... what laws were broken to make it a crime? And if we have laws or are even thinking of having laws to protect the NCAA's rules ... imo that is wrong. If USC and schools can't police themselves, tough. I don't see why with the money that is made schools like that don't have 2 or 3 people on staff who's job is to follow up on players of all sports ... what kind of car are they driving? Does this car make sense for this person? If not, how did they get it? Are they working? What are they being paid? Does that make sense? Are they attending classes? How are they doing? Do they need extra help?

With what the schools have to risk, I don't understand more resources not being spent insuring compliance. This is the same reason I have lost my love for OU, just too much freaking cheating across the board ... and they either don't care or are too stupid to figure out a solution to stopping it.

[billiken_roy]

just curious ... what laws were broken to make it a crime? And if we have laws or are even thinking of having laws to protect the NCAA's rules ... imo that is wrong. If USC and schools can't police themselves, tough. I don't see why with the money that is made schools like that don't have 2 or 3 people on staff who's job is to follow up on players of all sports ... what kind of car are they driving? Does this car make sense for this person? If not, how did they get it? Are they working? What are they being paid? Does that make sense? Are they attending classes? How are they doing? Do they need extra help?

With what the schools have to risk, I don't understand more resources not being spent insuring compliance. This is the same reason I have lost my love for OU, just too much freaking cheating across the board ... and they either don't care or are too stupid to figure out a solution to stopping it.

apparently in california there are laws on the books about accepting cash and goods while your status is supposed to be an amateur athlete. also, how about tax returns skip? did oj claim the cash and goods as income? tax cheats are federal and state issues.

[kevinfootes]

A crime? You want them to get jail time? Over the top. But coming down hard on a program should be mandatory. The NCAA plays pattycake with the big boys. They should have slammed Ohio State for all the crap going on with Clarett and the hoops program a few years back. Sorry, Coach Biancardi, but you guys were way out of bounds and out of control. If the NCAA had any cujones they'd nail a big time school with a two year death penalty, ie no competition allowed, and watch the rest of them fall into line real quick. For example, say they nailed a USC with this; sorry you're not playing by the rules with Mayo and R. Bush. We know you know what went down. And if you didn't, you're not doing enough to control this stuff. USC, you're fired for two years, shut down your athletic dept. You can't even field a water polo team. See you again in 2011. When you can start to recruit again. You don't think a bunch of schools would sit up and take notice? I realize this is naive because of the $$$ involved with the bigs, but dammit this is the only way to stop this crap. The NCAA needs a Judge Landis or Bart Giamatti type to be their president.

I didn't say jail time, that was you. Why should boosters and schools get punished but the athletes get away clean? Essentially, student athletes are agreeing to a contract. If they accept bribes, at the very least they should have to repay that money AND the scholarship money they received. That could be a pretty good hammer to hang over the heads of guys who don't make it as pros.

I think the state of Florida passed some laws to criminalize boosters who provide illegal benefits. It takes two to tango, so I think athletes should face the same punishment.

[kevinfootes]

just curious ... what laws were broken to make it a crime? And if we have laws or are even thinking of having laws to protect the NCAA's rules ... imo that is wrong. If USC and schools can't police themselves, tough. I don't see why with the money that is made schools like that don't have 2 or 3 people on staff who's job is to follow up on players of all sports ... what kind of car are they driving? Does this car make sense for this person? If not, how did they get it? Are they working? What are they being paid? Does that make sense? Are they attending classes? How are they doing? Do they need extra help?

With what the schools have to risk, I don't understand more resources not being spent insuring compliance. This is the same reason I have lost my love for OU, just too much freaking cheating across the board ... and they either don't care or are too stupid to figure out a solution to stopping it.

I'm saying there should be laws created to make this illegal. I didn't say it's against any current laws. That might make players think twice about accepting bribes.

[slufanskip]

I'm saying there should be laws created to make this illegal. I didn't say it's against any current laws. That might make players think twice about accepting bribes.

why should there be laws or laws be created to protect the NCAA. If the player takes bene's he's no longer an amateur ... but I don't see why that should be a crime.

Tax is another issue.

[kevinfootes]

why should there be laws or laws be created to protect the NCAA. If the player takes bene's he's no longer an amateur ... but I don't see why that should be a crime.

Tax is another issue.

Why are there laws against giving illegal bribes but not receiving them? Why do you want to coddle players who receive bribes? What does that accomplish?

[slufanskip]

Why are there laws against giving illegal bribes but not receiving them? Why do you want to coddle players who receive bribes? What does that accomplish?

I guess it depends on what you call a bribe. Is Exxon contributing to a polititions pac fund a bribe? How about gifts to them? How about jobs for relatives, especially when it's obvious to all but the politcians themselves.

Is a pharmaceutcal company giving a Dr. a trip a bribe?

[Taj79]

I saw this on Outside the Lines just last night. I loved the look Mayo gave the female reporter when she asked him questions in the hall after his NBA declaration press conference. He was obviously caught off guard ---- maybe the key word is caught. I also loved it when the same reporter cornered Guillroy and all she got was "no comment" as his comment in return. I loved his attempt at wry smiles --- as if to say "this is all bullsh*t and I won't dignify it with a response." That might have been the intent but the whole thing screamed "busted" to me.

This is the best example of "street agent" I have ever seen. Hey, don't get me wrong ---- the little guy they interviewed as the "snitch" is also dirty and sleazy as well. I am almost certain his whole expose was based on the fact that somewhere in this whole mess, he got stiffed by Guillroy and is looking to "out" the whole bunch now because he's p*ssed. The guy was doing time for selling cocaine right before he hooked onto the Mayo bandwagon. While the whole thing stinks, don't for one minute not believe someone is documenting all this as a veritible "How To ..." book when it comes to "how to be a high school street agent and hit the big one" kind of thing.

I heard Kornhesier and Wilbon after last night's show and both were adament about finding out who knew and canning Floyd, canning the AD, slapping USC with all sorts of penalties and calling Carroll in and saying "look, you are not out of the woods with the Reggie Bush thing so you'd better come clean, clean up or whatever and move forward positively." Then they had some huge debate about rescinding the "one year in college" rule and letting these kind of kids just head off to the NBA from the get go. Frankly, I say let them go. As I've said before, I have no allegiance to Larry Hughes. I haven't paid to see an NBA game in my entire adult life and have no plans to ever. I don't own a single piece of crap with any NBA logo on it. I like rooting for the name on the front of the jersey and that is all. Wilbon said the seats Mayo got from Carmelo for the Lakers/Nugget game were $1200 bucks apiece. How many of us have $2400 bucks lying around to drop on a two-hour entertainment event? In our dorm room?

This kid is dirty by association --- I am certain Guillroy and his entourage are to blame but the kid knew what was going on --- to the extent that he knew enough to NOT know or try to know what was going on. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? As long as the almighty dollar is involved ---- for Mayo, for Guillroy, for USC, for the NCAA, for the NBA and for the agent now representing Mayo ---- it will never be right. But it is reality. Its only "out" there because the snitch didn't get his money and is offended by that fact. Guillroy must've figured "hey, if I cut this Johnson dude, and the big pay day is coming (NBA Draft), thenmore for me." The street agent from East St. Louis might have been trying this same thing with Tommie and UNLV when prep school was underway. Its a lottery society --- Mayo is Guillroy's winning ticket. He got lucky in that it developed since 9th or 8th grade and that's the rub --- you might get lucky with one guy and you've got that one chance to make it stick.

Some smart guy could insert himself into a certain situation, become a player advocate, endure all sorts of hardships, pushing someday for that one, huge payoff. He could call himself some fancy internet name like "St. Louis Hoops Insider" or even go legit and use his real name like "Mel Kiper, Jr." The greed of jsut getting ahead is supplanted by the illusion of being an advocate. Whatever. Everyone knew Mayo picked USC to improve his image and develop his profile, even his mother said that in the interview. This story was just a matter of time. I am sure there are other, scaled-dwon versions out there with guys named Beasely, Rose, James, Durrant and many others.

[billiken_roy]

great post taj. why the college game cant figure out the answer isnt in trying to figure out how to keep the likes of oj mayo straight, the answer is in not letting oj mayo ever set foot on a college campus.

[slufanskip]

great post taj. why the college game cant figure out the answer isnt in trying to figure out how to keep the likes of oj mayo straight, the answer is in not letting oj mayo ever set foot on a college campus.

I have never understood why alot of the kids that don't really want to go to college aren't playing in the NBDL. I think the NBDL has the same rule against drafting kids straight out of HS ... but I don't understand why.

[kevinfootes]

why should there be laws or laws be created to protect the NCAA. If the player takes bene's he's no longer an amateur ... but I don't see why that should be a crime.

Tax is another issue.

please ignore this reply. I responded to the wrong post.

[kevinfootes]

i have long believed the answer to the ncaa player problem (or at least make police work a lot easier) is not to focus on financial cheating, but to focus on an attempt to make sure all universities are truly recruiting true student athletes.

let the idiot boosters that want to send cash in envelopes, buy cars and jewelry etc spend all they want. but you throw 100% of the police work in making sure that schools are recruiting and enrolling true student athletes. hardcore on high school gpa, required course work, ACT and SAT scores, etc. next, no breaks on academics whatsoever when in college. they will be in real classes, they will be taking their own tests, writing their own papers, etc. they will be passing full time classwork. they will be on pace to graduate. they will graduate. if the "student athletes" are not doing this, then come down hard on scholarships.

what will happen is the character and quality of the typical student athlete will skyrocket and those that are looking at college only as a step to the pros will find another means.

of course apparently the ncaa thinks that no one wants to watch ncaa sports unless the reggie bush's and oj mayo's are part of the scene. personally, i am completely turned off by the likes of such players.

there is a reason the ncaa is a ratings bonanza and the nba is beneath it. if the typical sports fan wanted to see only the best players, wouldnt it make more sense that the nba would have the better ratings? i contend the typical sports fan still wants to cling to a subliminal belief that the college game is more pure plus they would rather cheer for the team than the player. it has amazed me that the ncaa apparently doesnt agree with that thought.

So you think kids with decent grades wouldn't accept money? Why not?

[kevinfootes]

I guess it depends on what you call a bribe. Is Exxon contributing to a polititions pac fund a bribe? How about gifts to them? How about jobs for relatives, especially when it's obvious to all but the politcians themselves.

Is a pharmaceutcal company giving a Dr. a trip a bribe?

Well, it's against NCAA rules and the laws of some states. What you're talking about is a pie in the sky wish list that has nothing to do with the topic.

[William Iken]

great post taj. why the college game cant figure out the answer isnt in trying to figure out how to keep the likes of oj mayo straight, the answer is in not letting oj mayo ever set foot on a college campus.

Generally speaking, the best baseball, soccer (moreso overseas but increasingly in the US ) and ice hockey players don't go to college. The best football players aren't physically mature enough to go straight to the pros. Some basketball players can go straight to the pros - why not let them? Some won't make it, big deal. Why is the NBA trying to be a nanny? Doesn't improve its playing stock and, as others have well said, the NCAA bears the brundt and negative publicity that follows.