Former USC basketball star O.J. Mayo is now reinstated with the university after a 10-year disassociation. Mayo was implicated in the same improper benefits case as Heisman winner Reggie Bush, and both athletes had their bans from USC lifted Wednesday.
The original scandal broke in 2008, shortly after Mayo’s departure for the NBA, when a former confidant of Mayo’s named Louis Johnson went on national television. According to Johnson, Mayo received money from Los Angeles events promoter Rodney Guillory in the form of cash, clothes and a flat-screen TV.
Then-USC coach Tim Floyd was alleged to have delivered money to Guillory in 2007. Floyd resigned in June 2009, but neither he nor Mayo ever admitted any wrongdoing.
Both Mayo and Bush were investigated and found guilty of illegally accepting gifts during their tenures as student-athletes, therefore forfeiting their amateur status. All accomplishments the Trojans earned with the participation of these players were stripped.
As additional punishment, the university was forced to disassociate from Bush and Mayo. That meant removing any trace of their involvement with USC, including erasing their names and likenesses from official records and campus, not posting their highlights on social media and not mentioning them for recruiting purposes.
That punishment was originally meant to be permanent. But in 2017, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions declared that any current disassociations would be limited to 10 years, and that universities could decide to reinstate banned athletes after that period.
Mayo came into the 2007-08 season as the No. 1 overall recruit in men’s basketball. In his single year as a Trojan, the 6-foot-5 guard earned All-Pac-10 first team honors and helped the Trojans to a 21-12 record.
Following Mayo’s disassociation, the NCAA vacated all 21 of those wins — leaving the Trojans with an 0-12 record on the season.
After his year at USC, Mayo declared for the 2008 NBA Draft. He was selected as the No. 3 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he played for four years. In his debut season, Mayo was the runner-up for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award behind Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
He went on to play one season with the Dallas Mavericks (2012-13) and three with the Milwaukee Bucks (2013-2016) with mixed results and several injuries.
On July 1, 2016, Mayo was officially dismissed from the NBA because of a drug violation. He had previously received a 10-game suspension in 2011 after testing positive for DHEA, a banned steroid.
Mayo has since played in several foreign leagues, including the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (Puerto Rico), the Super Basketball League (Taiwan), the National Basketball League (China) and the ASEAN Basketball League (Taiwan).