HOUSTON – Saying the NCAA has “new information,” President Myles Brand promised to investigate former USC basketball star O.J. Mayo, who reportedly received thousands of dollars in gifts from money given to an event promoter by a sports agency.
On Sunday, ESPN reported that Bill Duffy Associates provided Rodney Guillory with about $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC. Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo's, told the ESPN show “Outside the Lines” that Mayo received about $30,000 and other benefits from Guillory while in high school and during his one season at USC.
Mayo declared for the NBA draft after the season and hired BDA Sports' Calvin Andrews as his agent.
Brand, speaking yesterday in Houston to kick off this week's Division II National Championships Festival, said that “our enforcement division has new information” about Mayo's case “and as a matter of fact, when we have new information on any case, we will investigate.”
He would not comment further on the specifics of Mayo's case.
Duffy denied any illegal activity involving Mayo on Monday, but USC acknowledged that the school is working with the NCAA and the Pac-10 “in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations.”
NCAA rules prohibit giving college athletes money or other gifts.
– ASSOCIATED PRESS
