05/12/2008 -
LOS ANGELES (AP) -The head of the sports agency representing O.J. Mayo denied any illegal activity involving the Southern California star on Monday, a day after ESPN reported Bill Duffy Associates gave cash to an event promoter who provided gifts.
``We are in contact with the NCAA and the Pac-10 and are working with both in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations,'' USC said in a statement issued later in the day.
Mayo, who sat courtside for Game 4 of the Boston-Cleveland second-round playoff series Monday night, said he was hoping to get more information about the situation when he returned to school.
``I don't think it's good just because I'm really focused on the job, really wanting to do well on my workouts and my preparation, but at the same time it's kind of a road block, another obstacle,'' Mayo told The Associated Press. ``I just want to get to the bottom of it and just find out what's really going on.''
Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo's, told ESPN's ``Outside the Lines'' that BDA Sports provided Rodney Guillory with about $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC. Johnson said a portion of that money was given to Mayo.
``I haven't seen any evidence of them saying we gave O.J. Mayo a dime, and that has not happened,'' Duffy told the AP. ``I don't see any evidence of any other type of transaction. This is what this guy is saying. Obviously his credibility should be in question as well.''
Mayo has declared for the NBA draft and hired BDA Sports' Calvin Andrews as his agent. ESPN reported Sunday that Mayo received about $30,000 and other benefits while in high school and during his lone season at USC, then entered into a verbal agreement that allowed the agency to represent him when he turned pro.
But Duffy said he only recently met Mayo, and only knew Guillory through the player.
``That's what's crazy. I met O.J. Mayo for the first time like three weeks ago. I met him once before that in Vegas, I ran into him during USA Basketball for like 30 seconds. He was running to a car, I was coming into a hotel, somebody introduced us, we shook hands and that was it. This is the first time I've actually formally met him.''
NBA commissioner David Stern said the league can work with the NCAA, shoe companies, USA Basketball, and high school and coaches associations to protect the athletes.
``Maybe this is the opportunity to do more education about what's right and what's wrong, who to trust and who not, and what the risks are for making bad decisions,'' Stern said in Cleveland. ``It's not our primary sort of role here, but we understand there is a role to be played.''
NCAA rules prohibit giving college athletes money or other gifts. Johnson, who claims he didn't get paid, also gave ESPN receipts and invoices for many of the purchases.
``From what I can see, those receipts were from his purchases,'' Duffy said. ``We had nothing to do with that. I don't even know who this Lou Johnson guy is.''
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers and Associated Press writer Joe Milicia in Cleveland, and AP Assistant Sports Editor for the South region Oscar Dixon contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
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“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
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SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
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