BREAKING NEWS, OJ Mayo took money!!

[PhilipNelsonFan]

USC has had nothing to do with it. The NCAA regulations are supposed to prevent buying of recruits. Even assuming USC could constantly monitor Mayo (which might very well be illegal), they get no recruiting benefit from some agent paying him money after he matriculated. In fact, they lose out, because that entices him to leave earlier.

Let's take a look at the parties involved:
- Mayo: Received a few thousand dollars. No penalty will be levied against him.
- Bill Duffy Associates: Tried to make some money off a college stud. The NCAA can't touch them.
- Johnson: Wanted to cash out on a childhood friend. Failed to do so, and instead resorted to blackmail. He'll be protected too.
- USC: Conducted a thorough investigation in good faith on Mayo, along with the Pac-10 and NCAA and found nothing. Earned no recruiting advantage or financial benefit from the alleged transactions. Does benefit to the extent that Mayo benefits the exposure of the team, but this has nothing to do with the allegations. But in this situation, everyone is crying for the university to receive the death penalty?

Sure, if the money was given by a USC booster, one could very well justify levying significant punishment against the university for lack of institutional control. But the money in this case comes from an agent, whose interests are completely opposite that of the university.

Yeah, but that sets such a dangerous precedent. Letting this go basically gives agencies the green light to pursue younger basketball players when they show off their talent through runners like Johnson and Guillory, and runners will be brokering deals and gaining trust with players for even longer than they did Mayo.

These rules are in place to a) protect kids from themselves and their poor choices and b) support the goals of student-athletes, ideally a college education and the ability to play the sport they love. OJ Mayo had no interest in a college education when he signed on to USC, but this guy made a couple hundred grand off OJ Mayo, giving him about $30,000 over the year in what amounted to glorified hush money.

USC, Guillory, and even Johnson should be prosecuted for this, and USC deserves a "lack of institutional control" citation.

[wilt]

and international kids can

[shawngoat23]

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Yeah, but that sets such a dangerous precedent. Letting this go basically gives agencies the green light to pursue younger basketball players when they show off their talent through runners like Johnson and Guillory, and runners will be brokering deals and gaining trust with players for even longer than they did Mayo.

I don't see how punishing the university prevents agencies from continuing to pursue younger basketball players. Universities try to prevent agents from contacting anyway, because the loss of a stud to the NBA (or NFL) is reason enough to limit such contact.

What the NCAA should do is try to determine if USC made a good faith attempt to keep track of O.J. Mayo. Johnson stated on OTL that to the best of his knowledge, USC knew nothing about how Mayo was making money from his relationship with Guillory. If this is true, and they did in fact conduct an investigation (along with the NCAA and Pac-10), I don't see how you can hold them liable.

[theGreatRC]

So does this affect his draft stock?

I don't know why it should.

[Supermann98]

Lebron had a Hummer while in high school. Seriously, who cares?

[Dieselbound&Down]

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These rules are in place to a) protect kids from themselves and their poor choices and b) support the goals of student-athletes, ideally a college education and the ability to play the sport they love. OJ Mayo had no interest in a college education when he signed on to USC, but this guy made a couple hundred grand off OJ Mayo, giving him about $30,000 over the year in what amounted to glorified hush money.

Oh, how wonderful to know that the NCAA has the best interests of Mayo at heart, protecting him from getting a free TV and supporting Mayo's goals.

Here I thought the NCAA was mostly out to protect it's golden goose (NCAA tournament, free labor) and the institutions which constitute the NCAA membership. I guess all the blame lays with Mayo who wasn't primarily interested in a college education and who doesn't respect everything the NCAA was trying to do for him.

I say the NCAA sets up a bad system, they should expect bad results.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

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I don't see how punishing the university prevents agencies from continuing to pursue younger basketball players. Universities try to prevent agents from contacting anyway, because the loss of a stud to the NBA (or NFL) is reason enough to limit such contact.

What the NCAA should do is try to determine if USC made a good faith attempt to keep track of O.J. Mayo. Johnson stated on OTL that to the best of his knowledge, USC knew nothing about how Mayo was making money from his relationship with Guillory. If this is true, and they did in fact conduct an investigation (along with the NCAA and Pac-10), I don't see how you can hold them liable.

In the era of the one-and-done freshman, colleges have their hands tied a little bit, but they can't make exceptions for one at the expense of the many...that's how USC got into this mess. And I don't understand how anyone can look at that situation and not think USC didn't want to know. Didn't they almost lose a football NC with the Reggie Bush debacle? But they looked the other way, the NCAA bought it, and now this is happening.

If every NCAA player was a candidate for the NBA, you'd be making more sense, but that's not happening and so the NCAA has every right to single out an OJ Mayo as an example of unlawful privilege

[Doctor MJ]

Boy I tell you, ya knew this was coming. Not speaking to Mayo specifically, but you force a bunch of guys to come to college who literally have no use for it, and expect them to live in poverty when people are offering to give them whatever they want? C'mon.

[Blame Rasho]

Boy I tell you, ya knew this was coming. Not speaking to Mayo specifically, but you force a bunch of guys to come to college who literally have no use for it, and expect them to live in poverty when people are offering to give them whatever they want? C'mon.

I was when I heard he was going to USC, and esp after the Tim Floyd interview on PTI. It is pretty sad that nothing is really going to be done about this given that they the NCAA would never do anything to harm USC and more importantly the Pac10.

[wiff]

Boy I tell you, ya knew this was coming. Not speaking to Mayo specifically, but you force a bunch of guys to come to college who literally have no use for it, and expect them to live in poverty when people are offering to give them whatever they want? C'mon.

There's always the D league. Mayo had a big enough name in high school he could have signed a shoe deal for a few mil and had all the money he needed.

I'm sure it's a lot more fun to play in the Pac 10 in Cali than in Boise with 4 thousand fans but no one was forced here.

OJ Mayo is a grease fire waiting to happen and a cheater. And cheaters are me first kind of guys. And this should affect his draft stock. I'm a Sonics fan and if they drop out of the top 2 in this draft I want them to avoid Mayo like the plague.

Here's a laundry list why

Broke DJ Hacketts jaw in a pick up game some said it was a punch some called it an elbow, there was never really a clear story.

He was arrested for weed. I don't care that the guy smokes but what concerns me is that he was dumb enough to get caught. The charges were dropped though because two of the kids riding in the car took the blame even though the weed was on him and there was more in a spare pair of hoops shoes in the back of the car.

Plus it sounds like Mayo has been taking money since high school.

Who knows the guy could go on and be a Hall of Famer or he could be Isiah Rider? But I don't want to use a top 5 pick on Isiah Rider.

I'll be more than happy with Jeryd Bayless if the Sonics don't get in the top two.

Here's a bit more.

Yup. That's your potential No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, USC recruit O.J. Mayo, being led off the court of a high school game in West Virginia by police on Friday. The same week his Huntington High team was named No. 1 in the Rise/SI.com prep rankings, Mayo was whistled for two technical fouls in a win over state rival (Charleston) Capital High. The first was for taunting a rival player after a dunk, and the second was for further verbal sparring on the other end of the floor. In the process of disputing the calls, Mayo made contact with the ref, Mike Lazo -- and Lazo fell to the ground. The conflict then escalated to the point where you see Mayo above, making his best Jon Scheyer face on the way to the exit.

The quote is from Luke Winn.

You see the guy that is helping to escort OJ mayo out in the brown jacket and hat on the left?

That happens to be OJ's dad who is Kenny Ziegler

This Kenny Ziegler.


Here's the quote from WSAZ Charleston.

Huntington Police charged 36-year old Kenny Ziegler with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Police say Ziegler was speeding down the 12 hundred block of Elm Street in Huntington early Friday morning.

The police report says he crashed his vehicle then fled on foot. Police say when they caught up with him they found a half pound of marijuana and seven small baggies.

Ziegler was arraigned in Cabell County Magistrate Court this morning. His bond was set at $111,000. He is currently in the Western Regional jail.

Ziegler is the father of superstar athlete O.J. Mayo.

So if he happens to be at his high school game obviously the dude is still in the picture with OJ. What kind of role model is that when it comes to handing over millions of dollars to a guy who could be a face of a franchise?

It would be in OJ's best interest as a pro to go to team that has a strong veteran locker room with strong veteran leaders. And that's not the Sonics.

OJ working with PJ Carlisemo not the best idea in the world

You think OJ is going to take advice from Kevin Durant? They are practically the same age.

Lastly you never get equal money on the dollar when you are looking to trade a guy with issues.

Just look at Zach Randolph. The Blazers had to pay a lot of money to trade him.

If the Sonics where like the Pistons when they drafted Darko with all those vets I wouldn't be so opposed to drafting him but the Sonics are a really bad team and a really young team OJ Mayo isn't going to take advice from anyone.

[JN]

USC should get the death penalty.

For what exactly? Because you hate them?

This was a freaking agent that paid him to get him as a prospective client.

It was not USC that paid him. It was not a booster affiliated to USC that paid him.

USC has responsibility over themselves, and has to have reasonable oversight over its boosters. The NCAA investigated Mayo's status before, this in itself as long as USC took some actions, shows they did the reasonable due diligence.

Whenver amateur athletes get gifts outside of the realm of the university or boosters, it has always been the player that gets suspended for a few games, and the institution does not get penalized... this has been the case for years.

[JN]

USC has had nothing to do with it. The NCAA regulations are supposed to prevent buying of recruits. Even assuming USC could constantly monitor Mayo (which might very well be illegal), they get no recruiting benefit from some agent paying him money after he matriculated. In fact, they lose out, because that entices him to leave earlier.

Let's take a look at the parties involved:
- Mayo: Received a few thousand dollars. No penalty will be levied against him.
- Bill Duffy Associates: Tried to make some money off a college stud. The NCAA can't touch them.
- Johnson: Wanted to cash out on a childhood friend. Failed to do so, and instead resorted to blackmail. He'll be protected too.
- USC: Conducted a thorough investigation in good faith on Mayo, along with the Pac-10 and NCAA and found nothing. Earned no recruiting advantage or financial benefit from the alleged transactions. Does benefit to the extent that Mayo benefits the exposure of the team, but this has nothing to do with the allegations. But in this situation, everyone is crying for the university to receive the death penalty?

Sure, if the money was given by a USC booster, one could very well justify levying significant punishment against the university for lack of institutional control. But the money in this case comes from an agent, whose interests are completely opposite that of the university.

I shouldn't have bothered making my post.

This is the sane and rational response.

[JN]

...

[JN]

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I don't see how punishing the university prevents agencies from continuing to pursue younger basketball players. Universities try to prevent agents from contacting anyway, because the loss of a stud to the NBA (or NFL) is reason enough to limit such contact.

What the NCAA should do is try to determine if USC made a good faith attempt to keep track of O.J. Mayo. Johnson stated on OTL that to the best of his knowledge, USC knew nothing about how Mayo was making money from his relationship with Guillory. If this is true, and they did in fact conduct an investigation (along with the NCAA and Pac-10), I don't see how you can hold them liable.

+1. Its no point discussing such an issue with someone who is dissecting it based on his fanhood.

[JN]

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I don't see how punishing the university prevents agencies from continuing to pursue younger basketball players. Universities try to prevent agents from contacting anyway, because the loss of a stud to the NBA (or NFL) is reason enough to limit such contact.

What the NCAA should do is try to determine if USC made a good faith attempt to keep track of O.J. Mayo. Johnson stated on OTL that to the best of his knowledge, USC knew nothing about how Mayo was making money from his relationship with Guillory. If this is true, and they did in fact conduct an investigation (along with the NCAA and Pac-10), I don't see how you can hold them liable.

+1. Its no point discussing such an issue with someone who is dissecting it based on his fanhood.

[JN]

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I was when I heard he was going to USC, and esp after the Tim Floyd interview on PTI. It is pretty sad that nothing is really going to be done about this given that they the NCAA would never do anything to harm USC and more importantly the Pac10.

Did you even bother to read the accusations being made?

[Blame Rasho]

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For what exactly? Because you hate them?

This was a freaking agent that paid him to get him as a prospective client.

It was not USC that paid him. It was not a booster affiliated to USC that paid him.

USC has responsibility over themselves, and has to have reasonable oversight over its boosters. The NCAA investigated Mayo's status before, this in itself as long as USC took some actions, shows they did the reasonable due diligence.

Whenver amateur athletes get gifts outside of the realm of the university or boosters, it has always been the player that gets suspended for a few games, and the institution does not get penalized... this has been the case for years.

I guess you believe ignorance is bliss... I mean jeez USC are perfect angels. I mean it is clear to everyone that they don't have one ounce of blame right? USC has a responsibility to make sure that their players are students first and foremost ( they are an academic institution aren't they) and aren't quasi professionals.

The NCAA isn't going to do anything to harm other schools, and that is why they aren't going to report anything. Do you have any idea how many millions of dollars would be lost if they indeed report all the things that have surely happened. Anyways if you give the death penalty you might as well kill the Pac10.

They have already gone thru this once with Bush, now with Mayo, and I have questions about Demar DeRozan/Master P's son. I just personally don't think too much of USC and how they run their programs.

[moocow007]

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For what exactly? Because you hate them?

He's joking.

[sp6r=underrated]

Boy I tell you, ya knew this was coming. Not speaking to Mayo specifically, but you force a bunch of guys to come to college who literally have no use for it, and expect them to live in poverty when people are offering to give them whatever they want? C'mon.

I see nothing wrong with what Mayo did, and I would do it to.

[wilt]

there are 2 levels here :

1) taking money that