Josh Shaw Admits to Lying; Suspended Indefinitely

USC fifth-year senior cornerback Josh Shaw has admitted to lying to USC officials about how he sustained a pair of high-ankle sprains over the weekend. Shaw has gone from being out indefinitely after being a hero to being suspended indefinitely after being a liar.

The USC athletic department released a statement that said Shaw came forward Wednesday afternoon and said the story of saving his seven-year-old nephew from drowning was a "complete fabrication."

He apologized for misleading his coaches, teammates, athletic department officials and the public.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said the Trojans are "extremely disappointed" in Shaw's deception.

"He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story.

"I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him."

Josh Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities by Sarkisian and a statement that Shaw has retained legal counsel from Donald Etra, who is supposed to announce a statement "on Shaw's behalf soon."

The USC press release concludes with an apology from the USC sports information department about the publication of the initial hero story.