The NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference on Monday opened an investigation into whether former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo received benefits in violation of college rules before and during the one season he played for the Trojans.
Allegations that the top NBA prospect received gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars were made by former Mayo confidant Louis Johnson during a segment on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" that was broadcast Sunday. USC issued a statement that it was working with both groups "in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations."
At the center of the controversy is Rodney Guillory, a Los Angeles-based events promoter who Johnson said funneled to Mayo, in the form of a high-tech television, cash, clothes and other services, a portion of more than $200,000 provided to Guillory by Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management.
Last month, on the day he announced he was making himself available for the NBA draft, Mayo said that he had selected BDA's Calvin Andrews as his agent.
BDA in a statement denied "any conduct . . . that could have remotely jeopardized O.J. Mayo's collegiate eligibility."
Attempts by The Times to reach Mayo and Guillory on Monday failed. In a statement issued through BDA Sports to ESPN, Mayo denied he had taken part in any wrongdoing, supported Guillory as "a strong African American male presence in my life," and said he'd already been cleared during previous investigations by the NCAA and Pac-10.
Responding to the allegations on Sunday, USC in a statement also alluded to previous examinations of Mayo that "did not identify any amateurism violations." Those reviews, conducted by the school's compliance office in conjunction with conference and NCAA authorities, were extensive, said a source with knowledge of the situation who wouldn't speak unless guaranteed anonymity.
In a statement to The Times on Monday, the NCAA said the allegations made on the ESPN show were "new to the NCAA. This information was not available when the NCAA examined Mr. Mayo's academic and amateurism status prior to his collegiate enrollment, and we will review the information in conjunction with the institution and the Pac-10 conference."
There could also be criminal investigations. California law prohibits sports agents from providing cash or gifts to student athletes, and Johnson also alleged that Guillory used donation money from a fake charity for his expenses after BDA cut off payments to him last summer.
