According to a report on ESPN.com, potential lottery pick O.J. Mayo received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes, and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year at USC, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines." Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo's inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In exchange for the payments and gifts, Mayo entered into a verbal agreement to allow BDA represent him when he turned pro. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This stuff makes me sick!!! So let me get this str-8, one of Mayo's buddy's is kicked outta his crew and now wants to come forward and say Mayo took presents and money thoughout college?!? Assuming this did happen (which NCAA officials have checked on before letting him play college ball and during his year playing, stating that he has done no wrong doings), but assuming this did happen it makes me sick to think that his "boy" didn't want to blow any whistles while he was in Mayo's good graces and riding that "gravy train" reeping the benifits!!! It's sounds like (for lack of a better phrase) "A lover scorned senerio" poor lil snitchy-poo feels hurt and left out of the millions Mayo will be getting that he wants to try and get attention for himself...sick, sick, sick of this $#*t. I'm in no way saying Mayo took money or didn't, but the snitching needs to stop, all this whistle blowing bull is getting old and played out. they need to hammer the ones who "fess-up" after reeping the benifits. My opinion...being in the circle of friends has him spending that money right along with Mayo...probably urging him to take more so they can buy new gear and hit the club. Then smelling a future payday decided to blackmail Mayo for some of that lotterypick money. When Mayo told him to go "kick bricks" he got that whole "I'mma show him" mentality. Which would be the only reason to bring this out "before" the draft. Only spite would have someone snitch before the money came and not after. He knew he wasn't getting broken off so he decided to tell his story (getting paid to tell it no doubt) and try and mess things up. I hereby nominate Mayo's old friend for.............."The Playa Hater of the Year Award"!!!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (o.iatlhawksfan @ May 12 2008, 12:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That dudes a snitch.</div> I know right? He wasn't gonna get that "pay-day" from Mayo....so he got it from ESPN. Not that I blame ESPN...he woulda went to anyone willing to pay
Honestly, I don't see the big deal over college athletes getting money for advertisement agencies, and such. They're targets--a lot of athletes come from a rough, broken background--they're going to jump at the first opportunity to better themselves and their families. There is no guarantee that these guys make it to the pro's, with major injuries always being a risk. As long as the school isn't benefiting from this (maybe they are, if so, then throw my statement out the window), the NCAA shouldn't be concerned about who is giving the athlete what.
I agree with you in that respect. The NCAA shouldn't care as long as the party they were receiving the money from was not working for the school to "persuade" the player to attent thier college. But if (like in Mayo's supposed case) it's from an independent supporting party not working for a college...it shouldn't matter
