O.J. Mayo (Official Thread)

[methomps]

IMO this one is crystal clear. Mayo was literally coated with red flags - regardless of what any pre-enrollment investigations found. The school that took him was willing to take big risks for what he might contribute. He is the poster child for kids schools need to say no to - and USC didn't.

Granted, he is not alone and any superb athlete presents an agent risk. But Mayo was a poster child. If you want to have any hope of cleaning this up you have to make the schools pay so they back away from those risks. It is the only way....

.....the only way to keep exploiting amateur athletes while the schools make millions... but that is for another thread.

Many around the country would consider Pryor to be coated with red flags: the various bball game and amusement park altercations, that Sarniak character from Jeannette, the picture of Pryor in the white suit leaning on the Corvette, and his shiny watch and earrings on signing day (which got very little play here). So should OSU be treated as having taken a risk should something unfortunate happen?

 

[NFBuck]

Many around the country would consider Pryor to be coated with red flags: the various bball game and amusement park altercations, that Sarniak character from Jeannette, the picture of Pryor in the white suit leaning on the Corvette, and his shiny watch and earrings on signing day (which got very little play here). So should OSU be treated as having taken a risk should something unfortunate happen?

Seriously? O.J. Mayo and Terrelle Pryor's track record going into college are not even close. Sorry.

 

[methomps]

Seriously? O.J. Mayo and Terrelle Pryor's track record going into college are not even close. Sorry.

There are enough things that looking back in hindsight after something happens would have a lot of people saying the same things they are now about Mayo. That is how hindsight works. They would point to his signing day bling and the picture of him posing in the suit in front of the car. They'd point to all the articles about Sarniak and Jeannette and basketball fights.

 

[HailToMichigan]

Seriously? O.J. Mayo and Terrelle Pryor's track record going into college are not even close. Sorry.

True....

So should OSU be treated as having taken a risk should something unfortunate happen?

...But yes.

Whether or not Pryor is "as bad" as Mayo is irrelevant except for the severity of the penalties, should any occur.

And yes, I'm aware I'd have been giddy as a schoolgirl over getting Pryor just as you guys were, and worried about the risks later. But surely, a coach like Jim Tressel will be keeping an eye on things when his highest profile recruit probably ever is well-known to have such connections, right? I would hope every coach would.

 

[ysubuck]

There are enough things that looking back in hindsight after something happens would have a lot of people saying the same things they are now about Mayo. That is how hindsight works. They would point to his signing day bling and the picture of him posing in the suit in front of the car. They'd point to all the articles about Sarniak and Jeannette and basketball fights.

I guess I'm missing your point.

It has pretty much been established that Bush was on the take from a would be agent while tearing up the playing fields of So Cal and now Mayo is apparently guilty of the same thing. Both players took THOUSANDS of dollars while at USC and nobody seemed to notice. Why play the "what if" game regarding Terrelle Pryor? What does Terrelle Pryor have to do with Bush and Mayo taking money while playing for Southern Cal?

Don't bring TP into the discussion because you're upset that Southern Cal players can't seem to steer clear of NCAA violations.

 

[Oh8ch]

Many around the country would consider Pryor to be coated with red flags: the various bball game and amusement park altercations, that Sarniak character from Jeannette, the picture of Pryor in the white suit leaning on the Corvette, and his shiny watch and earrings on signing day (which got very little play here). So should OSU be treated as having taken a risk should something unfortunate happen?

I wont address my response to Pryor because there is nothing to merit such speculation in regards to one individual. But yes - when you land kids like Oden, Beanie, Pryor, etc. you have issues that Alcorn State doesn't. The wolves are always circling these kids and you need to be peeking in their dorm rooms. You need to be wary rather than welcoming of agents and their relationships.

But Mayo was at a different level. I go back to the post I wrote last July (reposted as #563 in this thread). The kid went to HS just down the pike from Cbus. I have seen him play in HS and I have followed his exploits on and off the court since he was in 8th grade. This was not likely to turn out any other way.

And I have called JT out on the same issue. MoC was a comparable case, except what was known about him was more closely held. But in retrospect he was a ticking time bomb. I question how JT handled the kid given what he should have known - but not how he handled the situation once problems arose. And OSU was positively ravaged by ESPN in a case where far less was ever established than has been suggested in regards to Bush, Jarrett or Mayo.

 

[NFBuck]

There are enough things that looking back in hindsight after something happens would have a lot of people saying the same things they are now about Mayo. That is how hindsight works. They would point to his signing day bling and the picture of him posing in the suit in front of the car. They'd point to all the articles about Sarniak and Jeannette and basketball fights.

I took my uncle's Porsche to prom. Look at profile pictures on scout or rivals, tons of those kids have "bling". The basketball game fights I'll concede are hard to gloss over, but he was antagonized non-stop by opposing fans. Obviously, he should have made a better choice, but it's not like he randomly attacked people. None of this, however, warrants comparisons to Mayo. The kid clearly had an eye on the NBA and saw a season in college as a formality, and thus is much less likely to give a rat's ass about the rules or have any loyalty to USC...the school or the program. USC took a calculated risk in taking him on, and now it appears to be coming back to bite them on the rump.

So should OSU be treated as having taken a risk should something unfortunate happen?

Every kid is a risk to a certain extent, but yes some are more than others. I'm not here to argue whether TP is a risk or not, simply that it is a bad comparison.

 

[holybuckeye33]

I just find it funny that Yahoo sports breaks the Reggie Bush story and there's hardly any mention of it on ESPN. ESPN breaks the O.J. Mayo story and it's breaking news on sportscenter and dominates the talk on ESPN radio. Guess if you don't make the story, there is no story.

 

[methomps]

I took my uncle's Porsche to prom. Look at profile pictures on scout or rivals, tons of those kids have "bling".

But that's my point. When its a $400 tv, the reaction is "OMG how could USC not have known?" When its your player, its imagine the hypothetical ways this could be ok.

 

[Muck]

USC investigated Mayo thoroughly before he got on campus. So did the NCAA. USC sent a number of administrators (compliance folks, USC general counsel, and athletics officials) to West Virginia to do due diligence.

Then USC's compliance department is absolutely incompetent.

Why in the world would they go to WV where he only lived for 8-9 months? Did they send anyone to North College Hill where no one knew whom he lived with and where he was already known to be in deep with Guillory? Heck, while they were in WV did they ask Mayo's mother her opinion? She's said from day one she thought Gullory was shady.

Does blatant incompetence equate to lack of institutional control?

methomps I know you weren't exactly thrilled with this kid from the beginning and some of the "anti" posts are over the top (as always) but you are starting to sound like a ND fan defending Weiss or a Wolverine mumbling around RRs meat stick.

USC seriously dropped the ball and they should have known better. There is no excuse for screwing this one up.

 

[OCBucksFan]

The death penalty.

 

[Gatorubet]

I guess I'm missing your point.

It has pretty much been established that Bush was on the take from a would be agent while tearing up the playing fields of So Cal and now Mayo is apparently guilty of the same thing. Both players took THOUSANDS of dollars while at USC and nobody seemed to notice. Why play the "what if" game regarding Terrelle Pryor? What does Terrelle Pryor have to do with Bush and Mayo taking money while playing for Southern Cal?

Don't bring TP into the discussion because you're upset that Southern Cal players can't seem to steer clear of NCAA violations.

Tank Black was paying UF players like Jevon Kearse and others - and that was proven. The athletes admitted it in Black's trial. UF did not know of it at the time, but then it was UF and the University of Florida Police Department that initially arrested Black and turned the info into the NCAA.

The "they must have known" thing is the same easy claim for MoC and the UF guys and the USC deal now. Easy to say, but who really can prove that at this point?

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

OHSAA wants more on Mayo


By Tom Groeschen
Cincinnati Enquirer

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

CINCINNATI ? Cincinnati North College Hill High School may not completely be out of the woods in the latest O.J. Mayo case, an Ohio High School Athletic Association spokesman said Monday, May 12.
OHSAA Assistant Commissioner Bob Goldring said it remains unlikely NCH would have to forfeit its Division III boys basketball state titles of 2005 and '06, but the OHSAA may still look into allegations that Mayo received thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from a street agent during the past four years.
The allegations surfaced Sunday when former Mayo associate Louis Johnson gave an interview to ESPN, with suggestions that Mayo violated OHSAA and NCAA amateurism rules by accepting some $30,000 worth of gifts from a rogue agent, Rodney Guillory.
Mayo played at NCH for three seasons (2003-04 season through 2005-06), transferred to Huntington (W.Va.) High School for the 2006-07 season, then played at the University of Southern California for 2007-08. Mayo recently declared for the NBA draft, having stayed at USC only one season.
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[osugrad21]

DDN

NCH likely will keep titles, but situation sad

By Greg Billing
Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Rest easy, Cincinnati North College Hill High School fans. It appears those state basketball titles are safe.
Even if proven true, NCH likely won't be stripped of its Division III titles from 2005 and '06, despite allegations that former NCH star and University of Southern California freshman O.J. Mayo accepted thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from a sports agent. The alleged financial support reportedly started when Mayo was playing prep hoops for ? ironically ? the Trojans.
According to Ohio High School Athletic Association guidelines, requests for eligibility investigations will not be accepted more than 42 days after the last day of the state championship in that sport. Two years and three years later probably qualifies as being a bit too late, unfortunately.
You have to feel bad for the likes of Middletown Fenwick, West Liberty-Salem, Versailles and Twin Valley South. All four area teams were denied a shot at a district title and/or a state berth after falling to loaded NCH teams deep in the postseason. If they were playing within the rules, you'd hope their opponent was, too.
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[osugrad21]

DDN

Mayo doesn't need rules, just the right 'look'

By Paul Daugherty
Cincinnati Enquirer

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
CINCINNATI ? College basketball is a great game. It has to be, for us to overlook the cesspool it inhabits, unrepentantly. When it comes to surprises, O.J. Mayo being bought and paid for by a sports management company ? allegedly ? ranks right up there with the sun rising in the East.
It didn't take long for Mayo to fall in with guys who'd not only tell him how great he was, but show him. What did it cost to own O.J.? Not much, according to one Louis Johnson, formerly a "friend" of Mayo's and a part of the group that recruited him to Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management.
All it cost BDA Sports to buy Mayo was "maybe $30,000 max, for him and the people that were associated with him,'' Johnson told ESPN. Also some clothes, a cell phone, a few airplane tickets and a flat-screen TV, Johnson said.
Johnson's assertions, along with bank receipts and credit card records, make up the bulk of ESPN's four-month investigation into BDA's recruitment of Mayo, which started when Mayo played at Cincinnati North College Hill High School. The story didn't mention if ESPN reporter Kelly Naqi researched the piece in full HAZMAT attire.
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