NCAA Football

USC Finally Breaks Silence About NCAA Woes, Accuses Accusers of Lying

Posted Jun 12, 2009 1:00AM By Brian Grummell (RSS feed)

Filed Under: USC

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Several years after allegations first arose that Reggie Bush accepted cash and gifts, several days after letting embattled basketball coach Tim Floyd 'quit' and a day after Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke slammed them for their silence, USC commented about the investigations.

Essentially, USC re-affirmed its commitment to silence until the investigation concludes but did take time to accuse several individuals of lying about their involvement in the investigation.

It has been publicly alleged that USC has avoided interviewing Bush accuser Lloyd Lake, something the university forcefully denied. From USC Senior VP for administration Todd Dickey:
I do feel obligated to correct a couple of things that have been reported in the media. Specifically, reports with respect to USC's attempts to contact Lloyd Lake or Louis Johnson or participate in their interviews have been inaccurate.

In fact USC repeatedly asked to participate in the NCAA's interview of Mr. Lake. However, Mr. Lake and his attorneys refused to allow the University to participate in either his interview or the interviews of his relatives. It is correct that USC sent a letter to Mr. Lake's attorney requesting an interview - which was later obtained by the Los Angeles Times- but neither Mr. Lake nor his attorney agreed to that request.
Dickey also denied the allegation that USC didn't interview O.J. Mayo/Tim Floyd accuser Louis Johnson.
The statement that USC has not interviewed Louis Johnson is also false. Mr. Johnson has twice been interviewed jointly by USC, the NCAA, and the Pac-10. Any suggestion that USC has not taken these allegations seriously and investigated them thoroughly is simply wrong.
It is a statement, backed by the weight of the university, that can't help but undercut the credibility of their accusers and heighten the notion that they've been seeking to shake down USC, Mayo and Bush and are willing to lie publicly to achieve their goals.

Unfortunately the statements will also frustrate as the public and media seek something more concrete about USC's interpretation of events, be it an admission of guilt or a denial. For too long the story has been advanced in an entirely one-sided fashion as the NCAA and all involved parties on USC's side have clammed up.

Into that void, the various accusers have driven the public perception of what actually happened. Maybe their version of the events is entirely true. Certainly some of it is truthful and documented. But their collective credibility is fairly low and when they're seemingly caught lying like this one has to wonder about just how much of the unsavory stuff is true if they can't keep things straight in public.

Unfortunately we won't know until the NCAA wraps things up, releasing both the organization and USC to comment publicly, release findings and begin that awkward sanctions dance we've been witness to this offseason with Alabama, Florida State and now Memphis.

Tags: o.j.+mayo, Reggie+Bush, Tim+Floyd

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