Latest News and Links in the Josh Shaw Saga

No longer a hero, Josh Shaw has now become the goat. His stories have been the focus of every sports show in the last 24-48 hours, including a full 20-25 minute discussion to open this morning's Mike & Mike ESPN Radio show.

If you somehow missed it yesterday, Shaw admitted he lied and hired noted defense attorney Donald Etra, who has previously represented Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and others.

It also came out that Shaw was mentioned in a Los Angeles Police Department report, but not as a suspect. Here's a great summary of the police report from the New York Times:

The police responded late Saturday night to a call of a woman screaming. No one answered the door at the apartment, so the officers forced their way in but found the unit empty. A neighbor told the police that a man had run across a balcony. When a woman living in the apartment complex was given a description of the man, she told them it sounded like her boyfriend, Shaw.

The NYT also talked to an LAPD police spokesperson, Lt. Andrew Neiman, who said the police want to speak with Shaw:

"At this point, it’s a burglary investigation," Neiman said. "A lot of things can change. At this point there is no property missing, but we’ll follow up with the victim. Or it may turn out to be a trespass, or domestic violence, or it could be a big nothing, no crime, just people who were arguing and a scream was heard."

Here's the latest news and notes on the Josh Shaw incident/saga/debacle:

• Should the USC athletic department have run the story in the first place? According to the Los Angeles Times, Pat Haden "said USC officials vetted Shaw's story 12 times with a number of different people."

• Also of interest in the same Gary Klein/Lindsey Thiry LA Times article is the fact/claim that Josh Shaw lives in Orsini, the building he jumped/fell from. There are also a pair of quotes from anonymous players:

  "It's a surprise to all of us," said one. "It's wrong timing for the program, but we have to focus on Saturday. I'm praying for Josh and praying he's OK at the end of all this."

  Said another: "Josh Shaw has been a top-notch dude since the day I got here. He's not a guy I'd pick off a roster to lie like this."

• Shaw's lawyer, defense attorney Donald Etna, went on FOXSports1 and answered how Shaw was injured, why he hired a defense attorney and then Etna said Shaw is "absolutely innocent. There's absolutely nothing criminal about this matter whatsoever:"

• Etna also said that the incident at the Orsini Apartments did not involve alcohol because Shaw doesn't drink.

• According to TMZ (take it for what you will), one of Shaw's USC defensive teammates had a confrontation with Shaw on Monday yelling for the cornerback to "come clean." The locker room situation required other players to get between and separate the two with the unnamed defender screaming, "Why you lying?" (Again, take it for what you will.)
• And in the aftermath of the saga that has played out, ESPN's Steve Bisheff believes Josh Shaw should be kicked off the USC team [ESPN insider account required].
• One former Trojan player and current NFLer agrees with Bisheff's assessment.
• But part of the problem, even before Shaw's revelation today, was USC's attempts to keep Josh Shaw silent. That's what the OCRegister's Jeff Miller argues at least.
• Scout's Dan Weber says the entire Josh Shaw story is one that was better left untold -- by everyone.
• Lastly, a former Washington Huskies reporter talks about the lengths Steve Sarkisian would go to perfectly craft the right image for the football program. Is this something we've seen this week?