LOS ANGELES – USC men’s basketball coach Tim Floyd made a direct cash payment to a man who helped deliver O.J. Mayo to the Trojans program, according to Louis Johnson, a former member of Mayo’s inner circle.
Johnson, a one-time Mayo confidant, has told both NCAA investigators and federal authorities – including the FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney’s Office – that Floyd gave at least $1,000 in cash to Rodney Guillory, a man who allegedly lavished Mayo with improper benefits while the guard starred for the Trojans.
Such an act would constitute a major NCAA violation for USC, which is the subject of an ongoing three-year investigation into alleged improprieties in both the football and men’s basketball programs.
Approached by Yahoo! Sports at his California residence on Friday, Guillory declined to comment. A message left on Floyd’s cell phone Tuesday was not immediately returned. The NCAA and USC also declined to comment.
“As you know, USC can’t comment on any issue that’s the subject of an ongoing NCAA and Pac-10 investigation,” USC general counsel Carol Mauch Amir said.
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