Morning Buzz
There's a defense emerging for Tim Floyd's resignation from his friends. It goes something like this: Floyd could not reclaim his reputation following the allegation he paid $1,000 to Rodney Guillory and even though he considered the charge outlandish, there was no way to disprove it.
With the allegation (and NCAA investigation) paralyzing the program and tainting him personally, he became fed up and felt the only way to handle it was to make a quick exit.
Thoughts?
Rightttttttt.
In this economy, the "right" thing to do is take one for the team and give up a job paying over $1M.
Total BS
Actually I have to agree with this defense. I was thinking the same thing two weeks ago. With the NCAA sitting back and not planning on releasing its report anytime soon and the SC BB program in a state of free fall, a new start seemed to be the only option. Media have been writing that Floyd was guilty, not that it was an unproven allegation. How can he recruit in this environment.
This explanation is the only one that makes sense. Does anybody really believe that Floyd would openly hand Guillory $1,000? If Mayo was so important to the program, would $1,000 - even a $1,000 installment - be anything less than an "insult" to the "broker" of the "arrangement"? Not credible. That being said, I am not sure that it excuses Floyd allowing Guillory the access he had to the Athletic Department. At the end, he wrecked his - and the University's - reputation by allowing Guillory and his ilk access to the program. By the way: where was Mike Garrett in all of this?
Tim who?
The allegations paralyzing the program AND the lack of support from the AD. All that was needed was a joint press conference with Tim and Mike. Tim could have said that Louis Johnson is a liar. And, Mike could have said we support our coach, but have a new policy never to offer a scholarship to an a student athlete with a relationship with a sports agency or runners. End.of.story. Recruits stay, all is well. Instead, Mike Garrett left Timmy and the program in the line of fire alone, and they were all eventually gunned down.
The $1,000 allegation was only one of Floyd's many problems.
This so-called defense completely ignores the rest of the disarray surrounding Floyd, namely his trip to Arizona, his ill-advised recruiting of the tainted Renardo Sidney, the ensuing mass defections of recruits, his dismissal of several scholarship athletes only to beg their return, and his virtual silence during the whole affair.
If it was only the $1,000 allegation, Floyd would still be around.
Couple of things. First, Johnson is a government witness against Guillory in an IRS case. IF big Tim calls him a liar, he's accusing Johnson of perjury. NOW the Feds want to call in Tim. That is probably why he kept quiet as did the AD.
Second, and lame with no excuse, the BB office is in the Galen Center. I doubt many, if any, of the AD staff went over there very much, if at all. Especially for workouts or practice. Just my guess.
USC admin specifically put a gag order on Timmy. He was unable to defend himself as his reputation was smeared by a criminal defender spinning the case in the court of public opinion.
#1, Floyd could have come out and emphatically denied everything. Even if he "can't comment on an ongoing investigation," telling the truth never hurts...well, unless the truth will get you in more trouble.
#2, where are the other principals? I haven't heard one peep out of Mayo denying the allegation or attesting to Floyd's innocence. And not that I would expect much out of someone so slimy, but I haven't heard from Guilory, either. His name is being sullied to the point that he can never set foot on any college campus again, yet he's done nothing to disprove the allegations, either.
That's total BS. Cutting your losses and running away, on the contrary, makes you and USC guilty. Not denying the charges makes you look guilty. Not defending yoursef and refuting the allegations makes you guilty. And why wouldn't you do so with you reputation, your job and USC's reputation on the line? Perhaps Tim Floyd is guilty because if he's innocent, he going about it the wrong way.
Resigning only gives credence to the belief that USC is sacrificing the basketball program to save the football program. And that implies that USC did something wrong... So Tim come clean if you are innocent.
That's total BS. Cutting your losses and running away, on the contrary, makes you and USC guilty. Not denying the charges makes you look guilty. Not defending yoursef and refuting the allegations makes you guilty. And why wouldn't you do so with you reputation, your job and USC's reputation on the line? Perhaps Tim Floyd is guilty because if he's innocent, he going about it the wrong way.
Resigning only gives credence to the belief that USC is sacrificing the basketball program to save the football program. And that implies that USC did something wrong... So Tim come clean if you are innocent.
The central feature of the Johnson allegation is that it can not either be prove or disproven. It is an UNCORROBORATED account that is also HEARSAY (i.e., Johnson alleges that Floyd and Guillory retreated to a coffee shop and that Guillory told him that Floyd has given him the money.
So I completely agree with the defense. Damage is done. Period.
There is a certain prominent Los Angeles newspaper that has done multiple stories referring to the Johnson allegations, expressing no qualifications about the allegations, and, further, quoting Johnson's attorney as though he was some expert on USC. Its crazy!
Thank you, OC Register, for not going down that path.
If Timmy were guilty, he would have left for Zona or pursued numerous job opportunities in 2008. Rather, he stayed with the program ready to face any NCAA charges, which have still not been made. He left due to a cold shoulder push from USC's admin. Guillory and Mayo are mum because they are suspects in a federal tax evasion and charity fraud case. I want to sell you an eskimo popsicle machine if you believe any of these allegations. And, the central culprit in the whole matter is actually BDA Sports. Follow the money trail to the source. USC should sue BDA to Kindgom Come.
try to follow this logic i will.
disproven, wild accusations cannot be.
so bother to deny, you must not.
just resign in disgrace you should.
troubling this premise is.
accused of complicity in bush case football program is.
deny, Darth Carroll did not.
so resign he should too, hmmm?
The nice thing about Floyd's explanation is that it works whether the allegation is true or not. Because if the specific allegation is true, nobody in their right mind believes that $1000 was the extent of it. Seriously, OJ Mayo for $1000 would have been the best deal since Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana and half the continental United States from the French.
If Floyd did it and fought it, more would come out because more would be there to come out. And if Floyd didn't do it and fought it, more "stories" would come out, because nobody believes OJ Mayo came to USC for $1000. If he didn't do it, he ought to be offended that anyone at the school or in the serious press took the claim seriously, and that's good enough reason to pack up and leave.
The real mistake is getting involved with any of these one and doners. The NBA does a great disservice to college basketball with its stupid rule.