A former friend of O.J. Mayo named Louis Johnson has informed ESPN’s Outside the Lines that the former USC guard received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in violation of NCAA rules while he was in high school and college.

ESPN reported the following earlier today:

“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.”

This sounds a lot like the Reggie Bush incident with the promotor trying to use the star athlete.

Also, read the last paragraph of the ESPN post:

“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.

Unless Johnson has some sort of proof, which is fairly likely, this just looks like a guy, who has sour grapes. At least that is how it comes across to me.
However, what is most important is USC’s statement:

“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.”

In order for USC to be punished by the NCAA (banishment from postseason play or a loss of scholarships) there has to be some clear cut evidence that the Trojans actually knew about Mayo receiving improper benefits. It appears that the Trojans had actually investigated Mayo before, which could help them during the pending investigation. So, before the guys from across town start a flamewar, it’d be best to wait until the fact are hear.

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