2008 Woodie Awards
USC Should Be Punished for the Mayo Debacle
Ross Coleman
Issue date: 5/28/08 Section: Sports
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Taking gifts or money, as a college athlete, is an illegal act that can damage not only the school, but also the image of the athletes.
Now USC is back in the spotlight for having another questionable athlete on one of its sports teams.
O.J. Mayo has been labeled as a "can't miss" basketball product since he was in junior high. As a result, his every move has been scrutinized. In a September 2007 article in Slam Magazine the world was introduced to Mayo's confidant, Rodney Guillory.
Guillory is a name that USC should have remembered when they were recruiting Mayo. In 2000 Guillory was responsible for getting star USC player Jeff Trepagnier suspended for accepting airfare to Las Vegas.
Even then Guillory was someone who befriends potential clients and gives them gifts to entice them to sign with certain sports agencies.
That agency is BDA Sports, with whom Mayo signed last month when he announced that he would forego his final three years of eligibility at USC to enter the NBA draft.
It's also the same agency that allegedly set up a credit card for Guillory in order to pay for Mayo's plasma TV in his dorm room, hotels for Mayo and his friends, and many other expenses that most college students can't afford.
The biggest question raised from the situation is what should the punishment be and who should be punished?
Well, both Mayo and Bush are no longer USC students. However, USC has a duty to keep tabs on any illegal activities of current students. That means USC should be held responsible for the actions of these two high profile students.
But what should the punishment be?
In the NCAA bylaws there is a seldom-used punishment that is referred to as "the death penalty," the harshest punishment that the NCAA can use and it has only been enacted two other times in history.
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