The official NCAA sanctions against the USC football and basketball teams are out. Here’s a pdf link to the entire NCAA report.
(Why? Read on…)
NCAA penalties included:
Disassociation of football player Reggie Bush, basketball player O.J. Mayo and “booster” Rodney Guillory.
In its report, the NCAA noted Reggie Bush improperly receiving a vehicle, rent-free home, airline tickets, hotel rooms, cash, limousine service, furniture and appliances.
Interesting that the men who actually gave Bush all that stuff, Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels, are not ordered to disassociate themselves from USC - but Bush is.
Why?
Lake and Michaels are the ones who provided the smoking gun evidence to the NCAA that proved Bush’s brazen rule-breaking.
So why did Lake and Michaels throw USC under the bus? (In actuality, they didn’t deliberately.) Because Bush took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and benefits from Lake and Michaels under the pretense of signing with a marketing company they set up expressly to service Bush.
And then Bush completely blew them off.
When Lake and Michaels tried to recoup their large investment in Bush they got this (from Yahoo Sports, February, 2006):
Bush and his mother convene settlement talks with (Michael) Michaels and his attorney, Brian Watkins, at a Santa Monica, Calif., office belonging to (Mike) Ornstein, Bush’s marketing agent. Bush’s attorney, David Cornwell, is also present, and security guards look for recording devices on Michaels and Watkins by patting them down.
Sources say Michaels attempts to talk to Bush directly, at which point Cornwell tells Bush and his mother to leave the room. Cornwell, according to sources, offers $100,000 to settle the dispute.
Michaels and Watkins refuse, informing Cornwell that they intend to file a lawsuit to recoup monies given to Bush’s family and potential earnings lost when the USC star failed to sign with (Michaels company) New Era Sports.
Bush’s unwillingness to reportedly come close to repaying Michaels and Lake for their $300,000 investment is what led to Michaels and Lake to first leak the story to Yahoo and then later inform USC of what Bush was doing.
USC in turn asked the Pac-10 to investigate the situation. That then sparked a full-blown NCAA investigation.
Still, Bush could’ve saved USC from the shockingly harsh NCAA sanctions slapped on the school’s football program today had he not contacted the U.S. District Attorney’s office in San Diego to accuse Lake of extortion.
That lengthy Federal investigation into Bush’s extortion claims is what brought down the USC program. From Yahoo Sports, January, 2007:
A federal investigation into extortion claims by New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush and his family has revealed the existence of taped conversations that could confirm Bush took cash and gifts while he was playing football for the University of Southern California.
Game over.
Once the Feds got involved, Michaels and Lake were only too happy to provide them smoking gun evidence of Bush taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper benefits from them. That evidence is why USC was so harshly punished today.
And the Feds extortion investigation started by Bush? Lake was never charged with any wrongdoing.
Had Bush paid Michaels and Lake back for their initial investment, plus a reasonable sweetener for future earnings lost, the hard evidence against Bush would’ve never come to light. And USC wouldn’t be sitting where it is today.
Once Bush’s extortion claims were debunked - with the football player incriminating himself with the NCAA in the process - Michaels and Lake filed civil lawsuits against Bush to try to, again, recoup their money.
Shamelessly, Bush then used those lawsuits as a legal mechanism to avoid cooperating with the NCAA’s investigation into his improper activities. It isn’t unreasonable to think that Bush’s years of stonewalling the NCAA may have led to even harsher penalties for his Alma Mater.
Today Bush released this statement:
I have a great love for the University of Southern California and I very much regret the turn that this matter has taken, not only for USC, but for the fans and players. I am disappointed by today’s decision and disagree with the NCAA’s findings.
If the University decides to appeal, I will continue to cooperate with the NCAA and USC, as I did during the investigation. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on making a positive impact for the University and for the community where I live.”
Speechless? Me too.
3:57 pm on June 10th, 2010
Or maybe USC screwed themselves when they let Bush continue to play for the team, when they knew Bush took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and benefits from Lake and Michaels.
4:02 pm on June 10th, 2010
We all agree that Pete knew what was going on, and thats why he is now in Seattle with the NFL.
But I wonder about Sark & Holt? I’d bet they knew too. Sark would have been the obvious choice to replace pete if he were still on the usc staff. He saw this coming and took the open pac10 job with Washington.
4:20 pm on June 10th, 2010
Hey USC haters…..there is no evidence that anyone beyond Todd McNair — a vile lowlife himself who was convicted on dogfighting charges long before Michael Vick brought the despicable activity into the national spotlight — knew of the illicit payments, so give it a rest.
As for Reggie, he’s scum. Complete scum. He and his fat-butt, beat piece girlfriend.
4:24 pm on June 10th, 2010
For those who claims USC had no idea what was going on: Michaels and Lake were reportedly welcomed into the USC football team’s locker room. Twice. Among other associations with members of the USC football staff.
4:33 pm on June 10th, 2010
Reggie is a punk b#*ch. So is his girlfriend, her sister and that p*@@y Lamar. Now all we need is Lienart to start dating the other w*^$e sister. Bruce Jenner should be so proud.
4:34 pm on June 10th, 2010
Reggie is a punk b#*ch. So is his girlfriend, her sister and that p*##y Lamar. Now all we need is Lienart to start dating the other w*^$e sister. Bruce Jenner should be so proud.
4:56 pm on June 10th, 2010
“Hey USC haters…..there is no evidence that anyone beyond Todd McNair — a vile lowlife himself who was convicted on dogfighting charges long before Michael Vick brought the despicable activity into the national spotlight — knew of the illicit payments, so give it a rest.
As for Reggie, he’s scum. Complete scum. He and his fat-butt, beat piece girlfriend.”
AMEN! As an alum, I’m sickened by this act of arrogance and hubris. Reggie Bush and his parasitic parents are nothing but ghetto scumbag trash. I want Reggie’s head on a stick, his Heisman vacated and Mike Garrett’s resignation ASAP.
5:25 pm on June 10th, 2010
the reason people hate on USC is that the team they are for doesn’t get the pub that USC does and arent as good as they are. another reason is that some fans of other teams hate USC because they are the compitition and want them to fail. i can understand that but if they think that their school is squeaky clean they are crazy
5:25 pm on June 10th, 2010
So we have a NEW National Champion for 2004…..
OKLAHOMA…#8. Thank You Very Much!
6:15 pm on June 10th, 2010
F I N A L L Y! Love that vindication
6:18 pm on June 10th, 2010
Sorry Sonny,
If the BCS forces USC to vacate the 2004 BCS Championship, the record books will show that no champion was selected that year. The Sooners will still be looking for #8.
7:39 pm on June 10th, 2010
HA,HA,Ha,Ha,hA,hA,ha,ha,etc,etc,Etc,Etc,eTc,eTc,etC,etC,ETc,ETc,eTC,eTC,EtC,EtC ………
8:57 pm on June 10th, 2010
Wasn’t that the year Auburn went undefeated? Maybe the new National Champion should be the War Eagles.
3:32 am on June 11th, 2010
no need to take an NFL team and move them to Los Angeles, they already have their own pro team in USC
12:01 pm on June 11th, 2010
I do not understand why he did not give the people at least their money back. I guess it is the ghetto mentality to not expect to repay $300k. But, what goes around come around. I blame his parents because in real life, it was alot pressure placed on him by his parents.
12:35 pm on June 11th, 2010
Reggie Bush should pay directly to the student athletes that are left behind at USC to take the heat from hear on out. Pete Carrol should be charged and sent to prison - like John Calipari - first he did it to UMass then to Memphis. Coaches like these two should be banned from the their respective sports.
That will never happen though - becuase money is the real culprit - the greed - USC’s athletic department knew and if they didn’t what the hell are they doing out there on the west coast?
12:40 pm on June 11th, 2010
Funny,
all this money paid to Bush and his family yet no one mentions the Feds going after either of them for tax evasion…even though we’re talking about 300k in taxable earnings…
12:50 pm on June 11th, 2010
Funny……. Only a Sooner fan would gladly accept and count a NC from a game they were demolished in. No pride at all….. Typical OU!!
4:10 pm on June 11th, 2010
jason– you could use some brushing up on the facts, here. USC didn’t find out about this until AFTER bush graduated.
10:49 pm on June 11th, 2010
My firm belief is that:
Reggie Bush SHOULD be stripped of his Heisman Tropy
Pete Carrol, has gone now. He slipped out before the #**# hit the fan
The rest of the SC football team should NOT be humiliated in this way. Let them go back to what they do best PLAYING FOOTBALL. Fight on Trojens
1:11 pm on June 12th, 2010
This is the first reporter that dosen’t give out a free pass to the gang of criminals that disguised themselves as a football staff.
When it comes to professional responsibilities, other authors don’t seem to understand what thier duties require. The recording and printing of Mr. Bush’s statement without challenge cannot be characterized as fulfilling those responsibilities. The statements prepared for and issued under Mr. Bush’s name, like those of coach Carroll and the rest of this gang, are self serving and can only be described as obfuscating and disingenuous at best. At worst they are lies. This author has fortitude.
4:04 am on June 13th, 2010
I was surprised about that evidence is why USC was so harshly punished today.
11:18 am on June 13th, 2010
Funny how all these coaches (Pete Carroll included) always talk about the close relationships they have with their players when everything is going great, but when something like this happens they turn in to Sgt Schultz (Hogan’s Hero’s for all you babies) “I know nuthing!, Nuthing! I saw nuthing! Nuthing!
Also, how is it that none of the hundreds of so called “sports reporters” that over cover USC, never uncovered any of the violations. If you can tell that the team changed from green to orange gatoraide, you should be able to tell when a star rb & his family make a move to the east side like George Jefferson!
8:10 am on June 15th, 2010
Great post. I’ve notice that Google maps are appearing more frequently for regional search terms and the location of the “10 pack” area is usually the best location on the page when it appears. Thank You;).
9:40 am on August 20th, 2010
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