O. J. Mayo Report 2: Investigation, the ESPN Way
May 13, 2008
Chapter 2 of Marc Isenberg’s book, Money Players: A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for the Current and Future Pro Athletes, is titled, “College Rules!”
The initial words of the chapter are these from sports agent Richard Woods:
“As soon as you have given player money you have corrupted the relationship… it’s [now] a creditor-debtor relationship.”
The very next words are from Tim McGee a former football player:
There’s a 100% chance you’ll be offered money.
Next are Isenberg’s highlights for the chapter:
Taking money or gifts from agents is a bad move.
As a college athlete your eligibility is your greatest asset.
Follow NCAA rules, even if you don’t think they’re fair.
The UAAA (Uniform Athlete Agents Act) and SPARTA (Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act) elevate violations of NCAA rules to a crime.
Isenberg’s short but informative book takes the athlete, parent, or anyone acting on behalf of an athlete through the necessary steps to plot a future from collegiate player to professional “money player.” The author explains step-by-step how to enter the pro ranks unscathed and free from the clutches of venomous agents and middlemen, how to plan your career as a one-person corporation in professional sports by assembling the right team of people around you, investing in the right places as opposed to the best-sounding thing that comes your way, why it is of utmost importance to take care of your body because that is the machine responsible for you earning a paycheck on a pro team, and finally how to bow out gracefully and retire prepared for life after playing sports.
From that description, O. J. Mayo needed to read this book. And if not all of it, certainly Chapter 2.
But the unseemly part of the Mayo story is that when Rodney Guillory got to the young man who, as a 7th-grader, played basketball in a different state - Kentucky - than that of his home state of West Virginia so he could play on a varsity team, Mayo was only 14. And at that tender age, the thought of college is far enough away that the message of Isenberg’s Chapter 2 would have more than likely fallen on deaf ears.
And by the time Mayo would have been ready to receive Isenberg’s words of wisdom and warning, Mayo was in so deep with the vultures that there was no turning back the clock to a time of innocence.
——————-
Before we go further with indicting O. J. Mayo, we must retrace our steps to the last time we saw Kelly Naqi in an investigative role. It was 2007, the setting was a non-descript room with Naqi in low lights sitting across from a voice-altered, darkened figure. The man was describing, among other things, his night of dog fighting with Michael Vick. Remember the man told the world that “his” dog fought - and defeated - Vick’s dog in a fight; that Vick was a big man in the dog fighting game.
Remember that what came from Naqi’s interview with the “informant” was the story that there were photographs and a video of Vick at that dog fight.
Remember that, despite promises to the contrary, neither Naqi nor anyone she ever spoke with produced one photograph or one video clip, or any other piece of concrete evidence - nothing beyond an informant’s “confession” - regarding Vick and dog fighting.
Remember that on a Thursday Naqi reported that IRS agents had spread across Vick’s property like ants on a just left by humans’ lunch picnic table. Naqi told us that the agents were coming away from the quarterback’s property carrying boxes with - well, Naqi did not know what. However, the most memorable images from that day were those of agents - particularly one female agent - making repeated trips to and off Vick’s property with open, empty boxes.
That same day Naqi took us to a pet store near the Vick-owned property where he was alleged to have purchased “syringes” and “medicine” in an apparent effort to make us believe Vick was injecting pitbulls with painkillers or anti-bacterial medicine. The clerks at the pet store mentioned “syringes” and “supplies,” but not medicine.
This story died a quick and quiet death.
The following day Naqi stood alone at the house Vick purchased for his cousin Davon Boddie and admitted that she knew little and it appeared that little by the way of evidence was produced. She announced the conclusion of that particular round of the investigation by federal agents.
Remember that early the next week, after a pronouncement that no indictment on Vick was forthcoming, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank left for a vacation trip to Africa. Remember that nine days later Naqi was back at the home owned by Vick surrounded by even more federal agents buzzing around the grounds. But this time, Naqi reported that acting on a “tip” the agents were conducting archaeological-style excavations of an area separate from any other previously shown.
Finally, the feds had carcasses. And that is where we last saw Kelly Naqi in a major investigative role.
———————
Now we find Naqi heading a four month investigation into potential NCAA violations by O. J. Mayo. Naqi alleges that Mayo illegally received cash and gifts from Calvin Andrews of Bill Duffy and Associates (BDA Sports Management) through middleman (also called a “runner”) Rodney Guillory.
To achieve this end Naqi interviewed Louis Johnson, a former sportswriter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram who became an associate of Guillory’s and also acted as a runner for BDA. Johnson split from Guillory earlier this year because, according to Naqi, “Guillory misrepresented some things Johnson said and sabotaged Johnson’s relationship with Mayo.” the alleged BDA middleman failed to pay him for services rendered. So, he was turned to ESPN and Kelly Naqi - and turned informant.
Naqi, through Johnson, showed receipts to stores and hotels that apparently corroborate Johnson’s story.
Unlike the Vick informant, Johnson is well-spoken and even said that, in the end, he came forward because he has Mayo’s well-being in mind. Of Guillory, Johnson says:
“Rodney is kind of the ultimate chameleon in the AAU, college, professional basketball runner world. He has the ability to charm you and at the same time plot against you in the blink of an eye.
“He wanted to be the guy who markets him, who builds his brand, who guides his career, and eventually becomes this personality within himself.
“This thing wasn’t just about O. J. It was also about Rodney and him wantin’ to be a star. He wanted to be the guy. He wanted to have his ego fed, He wants his butt kissed. And everybody who dealt with him saw that, experienced that, or felt it on some level.”
But it turns out that Johnson has some of what he describes as Guillory’s mal-traits in him. During an ESPN.com chat with Naqi Monday the following exchange took place:
Antoine (Germantown, Md): Did you feel the person providing information on O.J. was snitching due to no longer being in Mayo’s posse or was their an apparent “enlightenment” in the man’s lifestyle?
Kelly Naqi: I feel like in my job, I can’t definitively say what’s in a person’s head. I can say that there was an element of being hurt over what Johnson felt was Guillory ‘’sabotaging” his relationship with Mayo. He was hurt by Mayo believing Guillory. There was definitely an element of hurt. But I also feel that there was sincerity in his deciding that he wanted to move in another direction.
Kelly Naqi: Johnson had said that as a former journalist, part of his role in the group was to keep notes on Mayo’s life. He does hope to write a book now, about his experiences in the Mayo inner circle.
What is odd about the Naqi-Johnson interview is that the portions of Johnson’s diatribe that deal with the NCAA are left in the interview. It is odd because Johnson was allowed to shift blame for the incident away from Mayo, Guillory, and Bill Duffy, who are Naqi’s primary targets. However, with a close listen to Johnson’s NCAA rant, his motives for turning face on Guillory and Mayo become starkly clear: But by pursuing this line of questioning,
Naqi loses control of the interview. It gave the appearance of Naqi talking with a reporter who had gone undercover as a runner - Johnson - rather than Naqi grilling a slimy informant:
Naqi: How does the cash get from the agent to the runner without being spotted by the NCAA?
Johnson: Well, the fact of the matter is, the NC2A rules in the situation kinda are a joke. The way they have this thing set up right now - the NC2A - it kind of allows the runner system to thrive.
Basically, if you have a relationship with a kid, or you know someone who has a relationship with a kid prior to him becoming a “recruitable prospect” then you can pretty much do whatever you want to do with him and raise him. And that’s an NCAA rule - you can do that.
And so the fact of the matter is, if you want to get money to someone (smiles knowingly). If you’re fortunate enough to set up a relationship with someone who has had a relationship with that individual prior to - then you can funnel money right through them very easily.
Naqi: How are you saving O. J. by pointing out the violations that Rodney committed when O. J. was just as complicit?
Johnson: O. J. wasn’t as complicit in some of the things that happened and I think I’ve proven that because he wasn’t the direct beneficiary of a lot of the things that was happening….
Naqi: But he got something he wouldn’t have had access to otherwise and he got what he wanted/
Johnson: Yeah, but at the same time how can you, I, or anyone else really sit here and blame him with his circumstances. He’s born into this world. He didn’t have a choice about the situation he was born into. His circumstances dictated that he survive in a system that has a set - or I should say, has a set of guidelines on which you conduct yourself if you want to survive. He played within the rules of the game - and this is the game. Runners, agents, shoe companies, other elements —— this is the game! He had no choice but to play it.
Considering his circumstance, considering what was going on in his life, considering how he was living, O. J. had no choice but to play this game.
Johnson’s wish to turn his experiences into a book is evident. And the book will not implicate Mayo as Naqi-ESPN wishes for themselves, but Johnson wants to attack the big boys in Indianapolis at the NCAA offices. And Kelly Naqi provided him the platform to put that idea before the public.
Additionally, as if to make his point very clear, Johnson made it known with on simple statement that Mayo received perhaps $30,000 of the between $200,000 and $250,000 that Johnson alleges Duffy gave to Guillory to secure Mayo for BDA.
“The fact of the matter is O. J. has been pimped by Rodney.”
Naqi: Why did you decide to do this interview?
Johnson: Because I believe people need to hear this story. I was a party to some really sick things in regards to amateur sports. By being silent I was also complicit in nature and I realize that….
Naqi: You were more than being silent though. You were also an active member.
Johnson: Absolutely. And I accept my responsibility for that. And I believe that by coming forth, by talking about the things that I’ve seen, that it’s gonna force O. J. to make some changes in his life that he desperately needs right now.
He’s going to do more than talk.
Again, Naqi finds herself in the position of betting on one horse of questionable repute to get her to the ticket window. But like the dramatic darkened figure with Vick, Johnson made for good television with Mayo, Guillory, and Duffy. Whether there is more corroborating evidence to substantiate Johnson’s claims remains to be seen.
If it is Naqi’s job to place an ESPN investigation in the sporting public’s consciousness, she accomplished that. Johnson’s receipts plus the clerks at clothing stores who served Mayo might be enough to make a case. Plus, in California, if Duffy is found to be involved in this morass of graft, he, Calvin Andrews, and Rodney Guillory are subject to misdemeanor charges. If law authorities get involved in a case, the NCAA has no choice but to hammer someone. And that someone will most likely be USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett.
But short of engendering serious and fundamental change in the way agents can interact with high school - or younger - students, bringing down the Trojans basketball program, wiping Duffy off the sports agent map by forcing the disbandment or mass restructuring of BDA, rendering Guillory destitute, holding the NBA responsible for its abominable one-and-done rule, and shaming soon-to-be-pro Mayo to the point where corporate endorsers make deaf when his name is uttered, Naqi’s investigation will fall short of its hype.
In reality, it will probably be a wonder if Naqi’s investigation can make a meaningful dent in any of “amateur” basketball’s maleficent behavior. Remember, it took the threat of bringing RICO charges against Michael Vick to make his attorneys think - and then blink in the face of prosecutors.
What threat will it take in the case of O. J. Mayo? Let’s reserve judgment until Naqi and ESPN begin to focus their investigation. And let’s hope that, for once in a matter like this, they do the right thing.
Comments
22 Responses to “O. J. Mayo Report 2: Investigation, the ESPN Way”
Got something to say?
DWil
Thanks for the article. When stories like this pop up, I am reminded of what I believe is Isaiah Thomas’ biggest failure to date…letting go of the CBA. It would have given the kids who just wanted to play ball an avenue to market their skills in a professional environment, as well as provide a counterweight to the NBA product, which had just emerged from the lockout in 1998. Hindsight is a mutha-fucker (sorry for the expletive…kinda)!
In the case of the Kelly Naqi, I believe that she, as well as most of ESPN reporters, are “chasing the dream”. They want to be a Wilbon, a Kornheiser, a Mariotti (ick!). They believe that all their money invested at their respective J-schools will pay off. It has enabled them to work for the “WWL”. They now just need that “one” story that will shine the light on their work. I’m sure Ms. Naqi is a fine employee, but this sort of “investigative reporting” lacks real substance, and really doesn’t get to the heart of the matter, which is the collusion of (sports) business and media, working in concert to enhance profits, while exploiting the individuals needed to generate the revenue.
RJ>
Doesn’t ESPN deserve some of the blame for having lax standards as far as investigative journalism is concerned? Isn’t an editor or someone supposed to review these stories before they’re reported? ESPN does make stars out of sports journalists, but so does SI. What the WWL does do an excellent job of, is spin. They love to maneuver stories the way that they want it to go. (See Barry Bonds, Vick, Spygate, etc.)
I’m just waiting for USC to be labeled a school that has lost “institutional control”. I’m not a USC fan, but I think that they’re going to lose some scholarships and prestige soon. Maybe Pete Carroll should have taken the money and run. The real shame is that, coaches can’t watch over players 24/7, yet often get blamed for the bad deeds that players do.
RJ-
Thanks (these two Mayo articles have kept me up the better part of 2 nights).There are many, many facets to this story and this is just one part. Yes, they seem often to lack substance. However, despite being critical of reports like this, it is important to remember that this could be part of an on-going or larger investigation by the WWL - at least I hope it is.
kos-
I know that response was to RJ… USC has already received the, they should get the death penalty (in the first Mayo piece I linked to Pat Forde’s article calling for Trojans sports to get the “Death Penalty.”… now, can a sports media outlet also be penalized for “lack of institutional control”?….
I hear conflicting things on this. I thought the “one-and-done” rule was an NBA creation that the NCAA agreed to. David Stern deserves some fault in this down the line.
As for the rest of it: Conveyor Belt, anyone? An investigative series of reports on this, done properly, could literally give us a visual, modern example of what Bill Rhoden wrote about in 40 Million Dollar Slaves.
Kos:
I don’t disagree with the idea of “responsible journalism”, as you have offered, but I think you know that at the end of the day, it’s about the revenue. So if a certain slant is requested by the editor, in order to “drive” opinion, you’d best believe that reporter will follow marching orders, or risk being out of a job.
DWil:
I can see why you have mulled over this issue, as there are many varying angles to take. S2N’s idea of a series, showing the interconnecting nature of these seemingly individual events, would be a grand experiment. But like the proverbial tree in the forest, would anyone hear it?
DWIL - Maybe you can clear up the rules for me, but so far, I’m really not seeing what could have been done about this. Rodney has been considered a family friend of OJ for years, long before he came to USC. These scenarios play out all the time unfortunately. As you say, they meet a kid when he’s 13 or 14 and woo him to the dark side. The kids are tainted long before they show up at college and unless I am off on this, the NCAA rules don’t regulate what goes on with family friends that have been in existence for years. Honestly, I’m not sure how they could.
But a really important fact is what you alluded to about the thought of college not being in OJ’s mind.
I’m going to take that a step forward because I think its the most important thing for everyone to remember as they judge Mayo.
The kid NEVER expected to play in college.
Think about it, the rule forcing a kid to go to school for a year wasn’t in place when OJ and Guillory first connected (at least I am pretty sure it wasn’t). There is no doubt that OJ expected to go straight to the pros, especially once he got to high school. Hell, EVEN GUILLORY had NO WAY of knowing that OJ would have to go to college when they first met.
So the thought of eligibility never entered anyone’s mind. Hell, OJ probably welcomed the contact with the agents and everything else picturing himself as the next Kobe Bryant. And, honestly, can anyone blame a 15 or 16 year old kid for getting blinded by the thought of going to the pros? I honestly can’t.
So, I’m sure someone will say “Why didn’t they stop after they knew OJ would have to go to school or when OJ showed up at USC?” Honestly, this is where someone who is more familiar with the rules will need to chime in and correct me. But, the NCAA, USC, and the Pac 10 all signed off on OJ knowing his connection with Guillory. So, if they all approved of him and knew of their connection, why would he have to stop giving him stuff? Why would Guillory have to stop taking cash from BDA at that point? This isn’t even an attack on ESPN, I honestly just want to know.
Because to me the biggest issue was the allegations that Guillory was taking funds from government backed programs that were supposed to be for social and community work and giving it to OJ. If that’s proven to be true, Guillory is in deep shit.
Back to OJ…If there is in fact documentation showing impropriety, what the worst that could happen to him? Will he fall out of the top 10? I highly doubt it. My biggest concern for him is that he has been a vagabond throught his high school & brief collegiate career, and that he seems to be lacking a solid support system. He’s good looking, and seems to react well to impromptu conversations with the media. My hope is that displays proper decision-making skills as he move forward in his professional career.
I could care less what happens to USC.
RJ - But was it a bad decision? Again, OJ didn’t know the rule was going to change and he would have to go to college. OJ and Guillory were building up a product to get him drafted straight out of high school. If the rule change doesn’t happen, none of this goes down.
I’m just saying hindsight is 20/20.
Shon-
Maybe YOU should be at ESPN! Nice job in ferreting out those details, and posing the deeper questions.
RJ - Ha Ha. Thanks. Just trying to help shine a flashlight on some of this.
Shon-
I am willing to say that the selection of USC was his choice alone. Whether is was right or wrong is debatable. Using your analysis of what his initial plans may have been, it seems that an alternate course of action needed to be taken “on the fly”. Tim Floyd & USC was willing to but it’s rep on the line for the short temr, and apparantly, it didn’t stop at OJ (see Miller, Romeo).
RJ - you probably know; Romeo Miller was a chip to land the real prize — his friend DeMar Derozian. He is just a higher profile example of a basketball or football coach at the Div I-A level offering a scholly to a player they normally wouldn’t in order to use that player’s connections to land the more coveted recruit. The reason Miller’s scholarship at USC gets so much play is because he happens to be rich and semi-famous.
Shon’s point is very important: everyone thought O.J. Mayo was headed straight to the Association until Stern went with the one year in college rule, and I don’t believe anyone else in his circle thought of any other path either.
I think people have misunderstood Stern’s intentions with the whole age limit thing. First one-and-done, and now Stern wants to raise the limit to two-and-done. Many think that Stern raised the age limit so that NBA teams don’t recruit ultra-raw players from high school who end up being projects or busts, and thus alienate their fan base. Now Stern wants to raise the limit to two-and-done. But I was thinking about this and now I’m wondering if Stern isn’t doing this in the hopes that more and more big-name recruits will forego college to go and play for money in the Euroleague. Their popularity and domination of the Euros would whet Europeans’ appetites for NBA basketball. They will have developed attachments to these players and will want to watch them in the NBA. That leads to NBA broadcast sales in Europe markets, and eventually to the NBA team expansions in Europe that Stern talks about so much.
I mean think about it, no matter what anyone says there were just as many “projects” and “busts” back when everyone went to college as there were in the preps-to-pros era. And Stern doesn’t give a shit about the NCAA or their viability. So the NCAA takes his deals thinking it will benefit them when in the long run it won’t. All it takes is one big-name talent choosing Europe over college to make the dominos fall.
Also anyone who would blame Mayo for this is an idiot. Like it was said, this is part of a big system, this is how recruiting is done. And how it has been done since time immemorial. And let’s be real, what 17 year old kid is not going to take all the gifts and free money he can get, especially if he was dirt poor like Mayo. Hell I’d take those gifts now if I could get them, hah.
shon-
on your long comment: that’s, one of the angles I’ll be exploring…. there are a host of h.s. ballers who were/are potentially in the same boat as Guillory-BDA(?)-Mayo…. The reporters blaming the one-and-done are on the right track but attacking it, IMO, from the wrong angles….
I’m sorry but Kelly Naqi sucks as an investigative reporter…that or her editor does a hatchet job, but I’m inclined to believe her goal is certainly not one of “getting to the truth”….but perhaps that gets in the way of ratings. I watched the Outside the Lines piece and quite frankly, I agree with RJ….maybe Shon should be asking the questions.
Dwil,
Love your eternal optimism….”this could be part of an on-going or larger investigation by the WWL - at least I hope it is.”
S2N-
I did know the situation, I just didn’t know the kids’ name. Thanks for providing.
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Miranda-
Shon should…… producers don’t get that good TV and good reporting can go hand-in-hand, hence Naqi.
And i really do hope there’s more to their story (but somehow I think they’ll primarily follow the story from here on out).
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