DON’T BUY SPOILED MAYO NAYS

O.J. Mayo is jarred by ESPN’s irrefutable proof of illegal benefits (in Hi-Def), but just like Reggie Bush, he STILL just says Nay.

O.J. Mayo knows:  It takes more than solid physical evidence to convict a blatantly-guilty ex-trojan named O.J. in Los Angeles.  And THAT is why Mayo is in full denial mode in the face of stacks of totally-damning evidence against him, and why he is laughing all the way to his flatscreen TV.

That TV is just one of a multitude of violations allegedly committed by Mayo WHILE AT USC.  On “Outside the Lines” Sunday morning, ESPN stuck a knife in Mayo, by supplying receipts implicating him in NCAA violations and illegal activities.

With a 4-month investigation, ESPN did what the NCAA conveniently (for themselves) failed to do:  They appeared to prove without a shadow of a doubt that O.J. Mayo has been getting paid by a Sports Agent since he was in the 9th grade, and that the gravy train kept flowing during Mayo’s days as a trojan.

ESPN found someone who was willing to turn on Mayo.  His name is Louis Johnson, and he was in Mayo’s inner circle, along with Mayo’s mentor Rodney Guillory.  Both Johnson and Guillory were fronting for BDA, which is Bill Duffy’s Sports Agency.

Johnson, who has been jailed for selling cocaine (but still somehow made it into Mayo’s inner circle), says that he and Guillory spent about a quarter of a million dollars courting O. J. to be a client of BDA, and that the arrangement began when O.J. was in 9th grade.  Out of the $250,000, $30,000 went to O.J., in cash, clothes, and other gifts.

Johnson and Guillory flew across the Country repeatedly, on BDA’s dime, just to keep everyone else’s claws off of their property.  And as per their agreement, they got Mayo a celphone and paid the monthly bill, and then just started giving him monthly payments for general expenses. 

Supposedly, Guillory convinced Mayo to choose sc because Guillory lives 8 miles from their campus, where he could continue to protect Mayo from competing bids from other Agents.  And once Mayo enrolled, the monthly payments stopped (to avoid NCAA detection?), but BDA figured out another, even more sleazy, way to keep on financing their future cash cow:  They created an apparently unlicensed “Charity” for Sickle Cell Anemia  — CEO’d by a felon who previously got busted for pretending to be The Red Cross — and used a credit card from the Charity to lavish Mayo with expensive gifts, like a night in a hotel room, a Flatscreen TV for his bedroom, and a fancy wardrobe.

Just like Reggie Bush, Mayo was apparently living in the lap of luxury, all thanks to Agents who used to LIVE in the trojan locker room.  California State Law prohibits Agents AND THEIR “RUNNERS” from compensating student-athletes, so all these allegations would make BDA criminal.

And according to Johnson, Mayo was COMPLETELY AWARE of where the money was coming from.  And that claim seems to be supported by Mayo signing with BDA immediately after declaring for the Draft.

Johnson, being a convicted drug dealer, is hardly the most trustworthy witness, but how about ESPN?  The only thing they’re guilty of is shameful, over-hyped self-promotion, which is hardly against the law — or the norm — in this Country.  So when ESPN’s Kelly Jaqi says that she has evidence, you’ve got to take notice.

ESPN produced receipts, including credit card slips showing the name of that probably-bogus charity, paying for meals that Mayo had at the Red Lobster.  They also have the receipt for the flatscreen, and the celphone bills, all ILLEGALLY paid for by agents of Agents.  They even have proof of payments wired to some of O.J.’s friends in West Virginia, in what Johnson says was just a scam to make it look like O.J. wasn’t directly involved.   Johnson insists that Mayo got that money from those friends, and that Mayo confirmed it to him.

And it looks like someone’s been getting a whole LOTT of help —

One of the perks that Guillory picked up was a $50,000 Infinity SUV.  And guess who owns the Auto Dealership, 300 miles from L.A., where he just happened to find the best deal?  None other than Bill Duffy crony and ex-trojan Ronnie “Cheap Shot” Lott.

When Jaqi cornered Guillory with accusations of illegal benefits (after Mayo’s declaration Presser), the deer-in-the-headlights Guillory offered up the classic “No comment” FOUR TIMES IN A ROW, before guiltily ducking out an exit door. 

Guillory might have caused this whole meltdown scenario, by badmouthing Johnson to Mayo.  Once Mayo was soured on Johnson, Johnson was OUT of the circle — and the profits — prompting him to suddenly “do the right thing” — and turn in the evildoers, EVEN THOUGH IT MEANS INCRIMINATING HIMSELF IN THE PROCESS.

That fact and the fact that ESPN has documented his claims, should be enough to overlook his days pushing blow.  And that second fact brings up a bigger question:  Why couldn’t the NCAA find what ESPN did?

Usc’s “defense” in this whole sordid affair is that the NCAA investigators had cleared Mayo prior to his enrolling at Figueroa Tech.  How could the NCAA possibly miss the omnipresent Guillory — a fixture on the Sneaker Co. Circuit — as he constantly flashed his cash around the supposed best player in the Country?  Because they are blind?  Or because you can’t find what you don’t WANT to find?  That, or, maybe it’s just hard to see money change hands when you have your head up your ass.

Did they assign the same investigator that so deftly handled the Bush Affair?  How can the two highest-profile collegiate athletes of the decade get showered with tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services like a “The Price is Right” Showcase, and the NCAA can’t see it?   With both players, the entire cyber-community was aware of the tricked out cars, diamond earring, cross-country trips, and spiffy threads, but the NCAA then proceeds to make Mr. Magoo look like Steve Austin (not the wrestler).

What do Yahoo and ESPN have that the NCAA doesn’t have?  Too little VESTED in usc’s reputation and success?  Nonsense — ESPN has plenty to lose by usc’s Athletic Program being forced to completely disband due to a ludicrous disregard for NCAA Rules.  ESPN broadcasts on the West Coast too, and usc is their biggest draw out here.

If the NCAA had been shown up by “journalists” only ONCE, you could consider it a fluke.  But twice in a row, at the same school, for almost precisely the same set of violations, is awfully suspicious.  The NCAA now has access to all the proof that ESPN found for them — What if they STILL don’t take action?  Then the old adage that usc owns the NCAA will have never been more true, and our dream of EVERY OTHER SCHOOL pulling out of the NCAA unless sc is permanently removed may be one step closer to coming true.

It doesn’t matter whether sc was aware of all the payments — Mayo would be ineligible regardless.  I’m not sure, however, if those forfeits would mean that UCLA’s all-time record for Wins in a season increases by one or not.  What definitely WOULD increase is the public awareness of what we have been preaching for years:  Like mercenaries or paid assassins, sc players are paid to play… and now the PROOF is available for the whole World to see.     

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Champions 101:

And just to rub some salt in the trojans’ wounds, UCLA’s legendary Women’s Water Polo Team BeatSC yesterday 6-3, to take home their 4th Straight National Championship.  This is the team that won the Bruins’ 100th NCAA Title last year, and now #101 is thanks to them as well.  And I’m sure it tastes THAT MUCH SWEETER, coming against troy.  Wonder if sc’s Star Water Polo player has a nice 50″ Plasma TV on HER wall?