College Sports

O.J. Mayo, formerly of Southern Cal and currently prepping for the NBA draft, arrived in Orlando on Thursday and faced the media at a press conference held at the Grand Cypress Hyatt.

He is in Florida for the NBA’s physical and agility testing.

And, as expected, most of the questions centered on allegations by ESPN’s Outside the Lines, which claims that cash, gifts and various other extra benefits were passed on to him by Rodney Guillory, a runner for agents Calvin Andrews and Bill Duffy of Bill Duffy Associates (BDA).

Sticking to his story, Mayo continued to deny the allegations. He says he never accepted a penny, and paid for his own portion of the meal when he ate with Guillory.

“I understand the rules,” said Mayo.

When asked why Louis Johnson made the allegations, Mayo says he doesn’t know, but suspects ulterior motives.

“I understand that he’s writing a book,” Mayo went on. “I haven’t talked to Lou, Louis since January.”

Oops.

On Outside the Lines, Mayo is seen talking to both Johnson and Guillory at USC on March 7. Then the threesome gets into Guillory’s car and leave.

Mayo claims he was “overwhelmed” when he first heard of the allegations, on Mother’s Day. “As the oldest son, you don’t want to bring that on your mother on Mother’s Day. I was totally overwhelmed and didn’t understand what was going on.”

When asked if he will cooperate if contacted by the NCAA, Mayo said, “I can be as cooperative as possible.”

OK, I’m not sure what that means. “As cooperative as possible?” At what point would it be impossible to cooperate?

At any rate, Mayo is no longer represented by BDA. He says that he and his family felt like it was time to cut ties, with all the drama that is going on.

I don’t know where this torrid tale will end, but I have a sneaky suspicion that, while Mayo may be moving on to the NBA and what will probably be a lucrative career, USC will be dealing with the nasty aftermath for a few years to come.

Maybe Mayo should consider cutting a check to USC to pay for the upcoming investigation. Seems like the least the soon-to-be multi-millionaire could do.

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