NCAA Commissar Myles Brand has announced that former USC star O.J. Mayo will be investigated after learning of “new information” about Mayo’s alleged acceptance of cash and gifts while still enrolled in school.

It is presumed that Brand shouted his intention to investigate from a very tall window overlooking the NCAA parking lot, while holding his outstretched arm at a 45-degree angle.

From Chris Duncan at YAHOO! SPORTS:

Brand, speaking Tuesday 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…USC acknowledged that the school is working with the NCAA and the Pac-10 “in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations.”

We noted over the weekend that Mayo allegedly received about $30,000 in cash and gifts during his one year at Southern Cal from someone named Rodney Guillory, who was working for an agency called Bill Duffy Associates, or BDA, who seem to have a foothold in California.

Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES, via YAHOO! SPORTS, tells us about Tito Maddox, a former Fresno State standout who met Guillory in 1998. Maddox’s relationship would result in severe penalties for his team.

Maddox went on to play at Fresno State, and his relationship with Guillory forced his college team to suffer through a self-imposed two-year probation and lose three scholarships in December 2002 after Maddox revealed to the Fresno Bee that he had accepted illegal benefits.

Maddox was suspended for the first eight games of the 2000 season after he admitted that Guillory provided him and then-USC forward Jeff Trepagnier with airline tickets to meet with Las Vegas-based agents Ron and Ken Delpit of Franchise Sports. Guillory attended the meeting, Maddox said.

Trepagnier, now playing in a professional league in France, was briefly suspended by USC in December 2000.

Said Maddox: “That’s why I can’t believe USC let this guy [Guillory] come back around after our trouble.”

Brand didn’t really sound sympathetic.

“This is not acceptable behavior and on occasion, it’s illegal,” Brand said. “You get thrown in jail if you rob a bank, but people keep robbing banks. The fact of the matter is these kinds of activities are unacceptable, they are unfortunate. We expect the schools to enforce the rules and protect our student-athletes.”

That’s a great analogy. Because committing a felony and seeking market value for your skills are exactly the same thing.