USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd delivered cash to the man who steered O.J. Mayo to the university, according to a former associate of the player and the middleman.
That associate, Louis Johnson, says Floyd met Rodney Guillory outside a stretch of Beverly Hills cafes on Valentine's Day in 2007, giving him at least $1,000 cash in an envelope -- which Johnson has since reported to investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office, FBI, IRS and the NCAA.
Johnson made his allegations public in a story first reported by Yahoo Sports late Tuesday afternoon. Later in the day, he said of his allegations in an interview with The Times, "I understand the ramifications. I don't want to take down a university. I was asked a question and I had to answer it truthfully."
David Murphy, one of Johnson's attorneys, said the $1,000 was "pocket money," adding, "It was an inducement for the courting phase of Mayo. It was for the purpose of staying on the positive side with Rodney, who had the influence with O.J."
Mayo committed to USC in August 2006, and officially signed with the Trojans about three months later. In his one season with the team, he led the Trojans in scoring and earned All-Pacific 10 Conference recognition before becoming an NBA lottery pick of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. He was among the league's top rookies this season.
If the NCAA finds truth in this and other allegations previously made by Johnson, USC could be hit with major sanctions, including forfeitures of victories, probation, a ban on postseason play, the loss of television appearances or scholarship and recruiting restrictions.
Attempts to reach Guillory were unsuccessful. Floyd did not return messages left at his office, home and on his cellphone. An athletic department spokesman referred all questions to university general counsel Carol Mauch Amir, who, reached at home, said, "We cannot comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation."
The Times reported last month that the NCAA had combined investigations into Mayo and USC basketball with that of Reggie Bush and USC football. Bush, a star running back and Heisman Trophy winner for the Trojans, has been accused of accepting thousands in cash and his family for failing to pay rent on a home owned by a fledgling marketer while he was playing for USC in 2004 and 2005.
