Q: In your post entitled “Mystery Role” you state that you knew Louis Johnson, and questioned whether he was a runner. He replied that he was just a friend of Guillory. That opens a bunch of questions, Scott: Did you see Guillory on campus or at Galen? Did you question Guillory in a similar fashion as Johnson? If you did see (or were made aware of) Guillory, did you ask the coaches or administration why he was around the program? Did you ever convey your suspicions to anyone at USC? If you did, what did they say? If you didn’t, why not? I realize you don’t have a duty to report your suspicions to USC, but as a journalist, you sure had the opportunity to question USC personnel about those suspicions and/or Guillory or Johnson’s presence on campus. Any info you provide is greatly appreciated.

A: Rodney Guillory was just about everywhere O.J. Mayo ever went. I saw him at basketball games, pickup games, the basketball office, Mayo’s official visit. I had at last five conversations with him about being a runner and he always denied it. He was also a gracious, likeable person, which I mention because when someone gets cast as a villain people often assume they are obnoxious or evil. He was a nice guy to everyone.
I’m not going to name names, but I frequently mentioned him to people in the athletic dept. The reaction ranged from shrugs to rolling of eyes. Everyone knew who he was and if there was anyone prepared to do something about it, they felt powerless to do so. Only the compliance office stepped forward in any way, and they are not around the program on a daily basis. It’s also true that other colleges ignore similar situations because this is the college basketball world today.