And Now for Another Episode of “As The Mayo Spreads”

Today’s episode, is titled, “When in Doubt, Sever Ties and Let Your Mother Do All the Talking for You.”

News broke on Thursday night on ESPN and CNBC (I didn’t know CNBC covered sports) former USC professional basketball player, O.J. Mayo has severed ties with agent Calvin Andrews, the vice president of Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management and is currently looking for new representation.

For a brief recap, this is the same agency that is alleged to have given Mayo $30,000 in cash and gifts though a runner for the agency Rodney Guillory when Mayo was playing pro basketball in high school and while he was at USC.

That has prompted an investigation by the NCAA, the Pac-10 and the NBA Players Association. (I guess Arlen Specter and the rest of the U.S. Congress and the Senate was too busy with the New England Patriots “Spygate” scandal and steroid use in Major League Baseball to get involved.) Mayo signed with BDA shortly after announcing he was transferring to the NBA after leading USC to a first round exit in the NCAA tournament.

Andrews took the high road and issued a statement saying that, “due to the overwhelming intensity of recent allegations regarding the recruitment of O.J. Mayo, we fell that our representation of him is a distraction for he and his family at this time.”

NBA Players Association has a rule that requires 15 days for a player to sever ties with before seeking a new agent. Anderson said that he would like to see this rule waived.

Also jumping off the Mayo ship was general counsel for the NBA Players Association Gary Hall. Hall has “excused himself” from the Mayo investigation, because he was once an attorney for BDA Sports Management.

Mayo himself has been silent on these recent developments, but it didn’t stop his mother Alisha from adding her two cents. She told ESPN.com that, “as a family, we decided to modify O.J.’s inner circle and allow him to solely focus on improving his game without distraction in a structured, disciplined environment.”

I think someone should tell her that her son was in a perfect “structured, disciplined environment”, but he wanted to leave for the greener pastures of the NBA.

It was college!

Stay tuned for more of, “As the Mayo Spreads.”

Photo: Newscom