May 14, 2009

OJ Mayo & Tim Floyd: Trojan Horses?

The three year Odyssey of an investigation into the USC Athletic Department surrounding the Reggie Bush/Lloyd Lake fiasco has taken a quite sudden turn, thanks to the Hoops team's Head Coach Tim Floyd, and now departed former Trojan star & current NBA'er OJ Mayo.

It seems that OJ's former friend Rodney Guillory has admitted to the NCAA that Tim Floyd hand delivered $1,000 to him meant for Mayo.

Uh-Oh.

During an hour long teleconference between Guillory & the NCAA-the 2nd meeting between the two parties (the first being a six hour long interview with Guillory & his attorney)-he confided to investigators about accepting an envelope full of hundred dollar bills. Couple this with the Reggie Bush investigation, and one has to wonder...Whoopty-doo, Basil...But what does it all mean?

It could mean that USC is now facing the infamous "lack of institutional control" label from the NCAA. Which could mean significant sanctions for not only the USC Hoops Program, but also the Fooseball team, too. We're talking loss of scholarships, recruiting sanctions, post-season bowl bans, and possibly vacating and/or forfeiting games in both Men's Hoops & Football, which Mayo & Bush participated in.

The Yahoo! Sports article linked above states that no less than 17 people have been interviewed by the NCAA as part of each incident being investigated, and some sources are now confirming that both the Mayo/Floyd & football investigations have been merged into a larger, more broad investigation into the entire USC Athletic Department's Compliance structure.

Something tells me that a powerhouse AD the likes of the Trojan's will see no real punishment, no matter the findings. I'm of the opinion that if there's a rug on USC's campus, the NCAA will try their hardest to help them sweep whatever the findings are under it...

Comments:

OJ Mayo & Tim Floyd: Trojan Horses?
The three year Odyssey of an investigation into the USC Athletic Department surrounding the Reggie Bush/Lloyd Lake fiasco has taken a quite sudden turn, thanks to the Hoops team's Head Coach Tim Floyd, and now departed former Trojan star & current NBA'er OJ Mayo. It seems that OJ's former friend Rodney Guillory has admitted to the NCAA that Tim Floyd hand delivered $1,000 to him meant for Mayo. Uh-Oh. During an hour long teleconference between Guillory & the NCAA-the 2nd meeting between the two parties (the first being a six hour long interview with Guillory & his attorney)-he confided to investigators about accepting an envelope full of hundred dollar bills. Couple this with the Reggie Bush investigation, and one has to wonder...Whoopty-doo, Basil...But what does it all mean? It could mean that USC is now facing the infamous "lack of institutional control" label from the NCAA. Which could mean significant sanctions for not only the USC Hoops Program, but also the Fooseball team, too. We're talking loss of scholarships, recruiting sanctions, post-season bowl bans, and possibly vacating and/or forfeiting games in both Men's Hoops & Football, which Mayo & Bush participated in. The Yahoo! Sports article linked above states that no less than 17 people have been interviewed by the NCAA as part of each incident being investigated, and some sources are now confirming that both the Mayo/Floyd & football investigations have been merged into a larger, more broad investigation into the entire USC Athletic Department's Compliance structure. Something tells me that a powerhouse AD the likes of the Trojan's will see no real punishment, no matter the findings. I'm of the opinion that if there's a rug on USC's campus, the NCAA will try their hardest to help them sweep whatever the findings are under it...