Who’s Lying Mayo or Former Associate?
May 12, 2008
Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft, 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 in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”
Reached by ESPN.com after the show, Mayo denied the claims.
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 addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo’s dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo’s friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts.
When Mayo was in high school in Ohio and West Virginia, Guillory was receiving monthly payments from the Northern California sports agency Bill Duffy Associates. Johnson said BDA provided Guillory with around $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC, and that Guillory used most of the money to support his own lifestyle but also gave a portion of it to Mayo.
In exchange for the payments and gifts, Mayo entered a verbal agreement to allow BDA to represent him when he turned pro, Johnson told “Outside the Lines.”
Reached late Sunday night, Mayo told ESPN.com that “I don’t know anything about it. It caught me by surprise. I’ve got to get to L.A. to see what’s going on. I’m just focusing on the draft.”
Mayo said he didn’t speak with anyone from USC Sunday and reiterated that he had no knowledge of money going from BDA to him. Attempts by ESPN.com to reach USC were unsuccessful Sunday.
“I had no knowledge of anything like that. I’ll find our more when I meet with Mr. Duffy and Mr. [Calvin] Andrews [of BDA],” Mayo said.
Mayo said he talked to Guillory Sunday after the story aired. Mayo said he didn’t watch it, but was told about the piece. He said he was back home in West Virginia visiting with his mother for Mother’s Day.
When asked specifically if he received any money from Guillory, Mayo said, “No sir, I did not receive any money from Calvin or Rodney or anything. It all caught me by surprise.”
Providing athletes with money or other benefits is a violation, according to NCAA rules. In California, it’s a misdemeanor for sports agents and their representatives to provide cash or gifts to student-athletes.
Mayo played one season at USC before declaring for the NBA draft in April. He named Andrews his agent.
Johnson also said that Duffy’s company helped Guillory purchase a $50,000 Infiniti SUV from a Northern California car dealership co-owned by former USC and San Francisco 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott and his 49ers teammate, Keena Turner.
After Duffy’s company quit funding Guillory last year, Johnson says Guillory gave Mayo the flat-screen television, a hotel room and meals — and paid for it with a credit card that belongs to a nonprofit organization called “The National Organization of Sickle Cell Prevention and Awareness Foundation.” The organization has never been registered as a charitable trust with the California Attorney General’s Office. Mary E. Brown, president and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, said she had never heard of the foundation for which Guillory charged purchases through.
Johnson provided “Outside the Lines” with receipts and invoices for many of the purchases, including the cell phone service.
Mayo told ESPN.com: “I would just like to know if I did [get money] where did the money go. I was a struggling college student like everyone else. I bicycled to class. The truth will come out, even though the perception is reality.”
Johnson said he believes USC officials were unaware that Guillory was providing cash and other benefits to Mayo. He did say that members of the USC coaching staff had regular contact with Guillory.
Johnson has had his own troubles in the past. A couple of years after initially meeting Guillory and Mayo, he was unemployed and received a suspended sentence and probation after being charged with selling cocaine.
He received support from Guillory and Mayo during that time.
“I was literally at the lowest point I’ve ever been in before, and that situation, that ‘belonging’ at that time for me was the boost I needed to keep me going,” Johnson told OTL.
Guillory was also involved with former USC basketball player Jeff Trepagnier, who was suspended in 2000 for taking illegal benefits (the NCAA ruled that Guillory had purchased airfare for Trepagnier and Fresno State’s Tito Maddox; the NCAA later cleared Trepagnier of any wrongdoing).
Of Guillory, Mayo said in a statement: “Rodney has been a positive influence on me as well as a strong African-American male presence in my life. Recently, my mother had the opportunity to spend time with Rodney as well, and has shared her appreciation for the way he has always treated me like I was family when I was so far away from home. I have nothing but respect for Rodney.”
Mayo, officials at Bill Duffy Associates and officials at USC all declined to be interviewed by “Outside the Lines.”
BDA sent a statement to ESPN.com on Sunday night.
“Bill Duffy met O.J. for the first time shortly before O.J. selected BDA as his agency. Neither Calvin Andrews, Bill Duffy, nor any other BDA employee engaged in any conduct that could have remotely jeopardized O.J. Mayo’s eligibility,” the statement said. “Everything in the recent report that suggests otherwise is false. O.J. selected BDA based on our achievements and our commitment to work closely with O.J. to maximize his considerable potential on and off the court.”
Late Sunday night, Duffy told ESPN.com by phone that he “didn’t give Rodney any money. Did I set up a bank account for Rodney? No. That’s absolutely ludicrous.
“My understanding is that Rodney mortgaged his house and was doing everything possible to maintain a close relationship with O.J. at O.J.’s request.”
Duffy went on to say, “We didn’t give O.J. one dime. I was told that O.J. had an exemplary year on campus and was riding his bike to class. We’ve got 80 clients who we put our heart and soul working for and we’re not in a position where we have to buy clients.”
USC issued a statement, saying: “The NCAA and the Pac-10 reviewed O.J. Mayo’s amateur status before and during his enrollment at USC, and did not identify any amateurism violations. Mayo and USC fully cooperated in these investigations. The University investigated and reported a violation involving Mayo’s receipt of tickets to a Denver Nuggets game from his friend Carmelo Anthony. Mayo’s eligibility was reinstated after he made a charitable contribution in the amount of the value of the tickets.”
When asked by ESPN.com if he would meet with the NCAA to discuss the allegations, Mayo said, “Of course. I have no problem. I did it before [when he received Lakers tickets] and I’ll do it again.”
When asked if he was aware of any violations he may have committed, Mayo said, “Not at all.”
Johnson told ESPN he didn’t get paid, but hoped to profit once Mayo made it to the NBA. He said he fell out of favor with Mayo because Guillory created a strain in the relationship by misrepresenting things Johnson allegedly said about Mayo and, eventually, sabotaging their relationship.
Mayo told ESPN.com on Sunday night that he plans to return to Los Angeles to “finish school.” He also said that he would work out in Chicago under trainer Tim Grover before heading to Orlando for the pre-draft physicals May 27-June 2.
ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz contributed to this report.
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