Answerathon

Whew!

Q: I still do not understand the big problem with the Mayo Gate. The NCAA checked up on him before he entered USC, Guillory met with Tim Floyd to ask Mayo before he even visted, it is not like USC boosters bought Mayo with money. Guillory was never affliated with the program, so will USC still be penalized by the NCAA despite the NCAA checking on him. Also it is not USC fault that he accepted money without them knowing ot is just like Bush gate?

A: People are reading too much about the fact the NCAA checked on Mayo’s amateurism before he enrolled at USC. A lot of times, that means an athlete just filled out a questionnaire. And that doesn’t absolve an athlete if he took money after he enrolled. It is not USC’s fault if it did not know if he took money. But none of us knows what USC knew. We only know the person at the center of this was chummy with the basketball program.

Q: After Sports Illustrated posted a link to the walk-on video on Monday, did you notice that PeteCarrollTV has now removed said video from YouTube? Do you think they’re getting scared and/or embarrassed by the behavior of Brennan Carroll and the national fallout that’s resulting from it?

A: Yes.

Q: Could the staff of the USC compliance office be held accountable rather than Tim Floyd for failing to monitor the situation with OJ Mayo and Rodney Guillory? If that is the case, could any of the compliance office staff be fired?

A: Compliance officials work for the university, not the athletic dept. That is so they have independence to make decisions without fear of retribution. Compliance banned Guillory from basketball games, not the basketball program. And they do not monitor who comes into offices, etc.

Q: How did Adam Rose get to be an ESPN correspondent?

A: I have no idea.