If the current lottery standings stay true (meaning the odds play out), ESPN's Chad Ford thinks the Memphis Grizzlies will draft O.J. Mayo with the #4 pick.
But armed with the #3 pick, the Grizzlies, the Clippers and the Knicks are all assumed to go after Mayo in this years NBA Draft.
To follow up on the breaking OJ Mayo scandal, above is the ESPN Outside the Lines video of Kelly Naqi interviewing Louis Johnson, a former member of OJ Mayo's inner-circle who accuses the basketball prodigy of accepting money and gifts while at USC, in violation of NCAA rules.
Free money. Gifts. Hotel rooms. All received while still a student athlete at USC. All from an agent in exchange for contract when turning pro. And we're not even talking about Reggie Bush any more.
On the heels of the Bush-Lake saga, comes a brand new scandal for Trojan Athletic Director Mike Garrett to play dress-up with. ESPN has broke with a story saying that OJ Mayo allegedly accepted approximately $30,000 dollars in cash, gifts and cellphone services over the past four years from Rodney Guillory, on behalf of the Nor-Cal sports agency Bill Duffy and Associates (BDA).
The source of the information: Louis Johnson, Mayo's (ex)friend. How reliable is this Johnson fellow? Well he previously "received a suspended sentence and probation after being charged with selling cocaine." Not exactly the pinnacle of moral values. But then again neither is Mr. Guillory, who was also "involved with former USC basketball player Jeff Trepagnier, who was suspended in 2000 for taking illegal benefits."
And of the whole fiasco, projected lottery pick OJ Mayo issued this statement:
"I am focusing on the process of making my dream come true, which is to play professional basketball. I will not allow these allegations to become a distraction to me and my family. I have been through investigations by the NCAA, the Pac Ten and USC before I attended school and during the time I have been here. I have not engaged in any wrongdoing. If these claims were true I would suspect they would have been discovered by one of these organizations."
Either way, this ain't no floor seats to see the Nuggets anymore...
SSNN, the Onion of online sports world, and the self professed most Serious Sports News Network ever, has released a "news story" that adds to the lore of the USC-UCLA rivalry: Neuiheisel, Carroll engage in wrestling match over recruit. And as the article goes on to say, this match got physical.
Gonzalez's mother, Louisa, said she was forced to call local law enforcement when Pete Carroll and Rick Neuheisel became involved in a heated verbal exchange that quickly turned physical, after a scheduling snafu led to the two running into each other at the Gonzalez home, both attempting to recruit her son.
That's when it got ugly:
"Mr. Carroll called Mr. Neuheisel a ‘'JV coach who couldn't recruit if his grandmother's life depended on it.' In response, Mr. Neuheisel said Mr. Carroll was a 'talent whore'...
Yet another reason why God hates the Bruins. The sad part is...this tubby guy would actually raise the UCLA cheerleading squad up a notch. Oh, and you might want to wait 30-minutes after eating before viewing this video. Or at least have a bucket of bleach handy to rinse out your eyes. Viewer Discretion is Advised.
Willie McGinest, Images from TouchingAlltheBases and SI.com
The New England Patriots' fourth pick overall in the 1994 draft, outside linebacker Willie McGinest, is calling it quits at the close of the '08-'09 season, as reported by SI.com. The USC protege was selected to the Pro Bowl twice in his 14 year NFL career, first in 1996, then seven years later in 2003. He stayed with the Pats for 14 years and was a cornerstone in their '01, '03 and '04 Super Bowl victories. In a 2006 wild-card game, McGinest recorded 4.5 sacks (an NFL postseason record), in addition to holding the all-time post-season sack record with 16. McGinest moved to the Browns in '06-'07 with a three-year contract, where he will remain until his contract expires.
McGinest hopes to lead the Browns to the playoffs in his final, 15th season in the league. He will be 37 years old when he removes his helmet for the last time.
The USC Trojans Men's basketball team was docked two scholarships yesterday as a result of a poor four-year academic progress rate (APR). As reported by Ben Bolch of the LA Times, the Trojans were issued a formal warning from the NCAA and penalized with scholarship losses after receiving a four-year APR average of 863, below the minimum 925 that is required to maintain full award eligibility.
It seems SI.com has finally got the message...life is hotter at USC. The sports giant has decided to upgrade its Cheerleader of the Week format for a model that's clearly more advanced: Song Girl of the Week. And this week's honor goes to USC's Allison.
This Song Girl is any decent man's dream come true. Allison not only cheers for our favorite team (and looks damn good doing it), but follows sports (San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Padres and Phoenix Suns) and loves a good philly cheese steak. Plus, under the "Three People who annoy me" question, she correctly answered: UCLA fans, the Stanford Tree and people who doubt me.
Follow the jump for a link to the full SI.com Allison photo gallery.
"Fred Davis, the team's second selection in last weekend's NFL draft, did not report to practice yesterday and had to be located by team security personnel."
Davis' brother Kendran had this to say, in regards to his brother's absence:
"Knowing Frederick the way I do, he was probably just out late and he overslept, he probably just didn't hear the alarm. And I know he wasn't feeling too good the other day."
Apparently Davis never learned the Head and Shoulders campaign of the 1980s...You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Unless you have a pack of Mentos, of course. Then nothing can go wrong.
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