« Courts - "Man accused of impersonating lawyer won't be own attorney" | Main | Courts - Yet more on: DOJ moves to improve immigration judges, after months of criticism »
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Law - "NCAA pre-screening gets attention in USC case involving O.J. Mayo"
Lance Pugmire of the LA Times reports today:
When allegations surfaced this year that USC basketball star O.J. Mayo had received improper benefits from a sports agency funneled through close advisors, the university pointed to its own scrutiny of Mayo and said an NCAA "investigation" had deemed him eligible.Now, with two sources confirming that an NCAA representative met with Mayo and advisor Rodney Guillory for several hours before certifying the player's eligibility for the 2007-08 school year, there is national focus on how that NCAA pre-screening process could affect USC's possible culpability in the Mayo scandal.
USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett and men's basketball Coach Tim Floyd declined to comment, but university officials have privately expressed frustrations about the severity of any looming discipline the NCAA or Pacific 10 Conference may deliver the Trojans in light of the NCAA screening of Mayo.
And several college basketball coaches say they are closely watching to see how the case turns out.
"We're all interested in seeing what happens to USC," said Kansas State Coach Frank Martin, "not to see them meet their fate, but to see if there are issues that happened that have nothing to do with USC's knowledge." * * *
Some coaches argue that by stamping a figurative seal of approval on a top recruit, the NCAA effectively reduces a college's accountability if the athlete is later found to have received extra benefits before enrolling in school.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 17, 2008 08:23 AM
Posted to General Law Related