ESPN's Pat Forde Weighs in on Mayo
This is rich…if not premature.
In a just world, USC basketball would have something in common with SMU football in the near future.
The death penalty.
When I first read that this morning I said, Wow! That didn’t take long, think he had this one in the can ready to go?
For the most part I have always respected Forde’s work but he is a bit premature here. ESPN does the investigation, so of course Forde, an ESPN writer, automatically believes it’s all true right? Based on just allegations right? Can we have some proof? I saw the receipts too, but can you prove the flat screen TV was in Mayo’s room? Can you prove that Mayo actually stayed in the hotel room in question? Are we automatically going to believe the word of ANOTHER drug dealer who appears to have an axe to grind?
The pendulum has swung the other way. Gone are the days of “the greatest team ever” to now saying that SC deserves the death penalty over things that have yet to be proven only alleged.
I am going to be honest here; I am to the point that I couldn’t care less. Players taking money?! Say it aint so!! The whole process is dirty, from coaches circumventing recently established rules to hangers on being allowed almost limitless access.
For every player accused or caught taking money there is another one who gets away with it. It is what it is, I’m certainly not saying its right but I’m not going to be surprised by it either regardless of the program that is affected by it. The NCAA is powerless to address it even retroactively, as greedy players and their hangers on will find a way around the rules or go to another school and jeopardize those programs.
Of course the NCAA will open up another investigation on Mayo based on this new information but in the end the joke’s on them because even after they investigated Mayo before its not like Guillory was some unknown, he has caused problems before. In my eyes SC is more culpable here because they knew about Guillory in the past; that should have been enough to raise some red flags. Clearly the NCAA/USC didn’t look in the right places in the past so now we are supposed to believe they will get it right this time?
There was a comment on All Things Trojan that really says it all:
On the one hand, the NCAA doesn't trust athletes so it relies on schools to monitor their actions. On the other hand, when an athlete goes bad, the NCAA trusts the athlete won't make the same mistake, but punishes the school for not monitoring the athlete's actions.
Go figure.
That really is the truth.
The system is so screwed up that it is clear the inmates are running the asylum. Frankly, I’m disgusted. Especially with the whole Bush mess hanging like a black cloud out there. You would think that SC would be more skeptical with all the things associated with Mayo and his recruitment of USC. I had my doubts about Mayo early on and how he came to SC but he won me over with his respectful demeanor and play on the court. I noted a month or so ago that having Mayo at SC was worth it, but if this is true I am totally bewildered. Mike Garrett is going to have to answer a lot of tough questions here as will Tim Floyd
USC is going to have a hard time convincing anyone that they monitored this situation closely at all. There were just too many signs there and they were all missed...
Fool me once shame on you…fool me twice shame on me.