By nature, I’m a trusting person. And a happy person. But my cardinal and gold heart is heavy. Another Trojan athlete (with some notorious initials) is in the headlines again. When USC, the school I love and take such pride in, announced they were giving another O.J. a chance, I had faith. Despite these recent NCAA violation allegations, and the latest in a long list of blemishes on the Trojans previously spotless record (Lofa Tatupu, Dwayne Jarrett, Lendale White, and their DUIs), I still had faith in O.J. He was the one-and-done juggernaut that would launch USC’s basketball team into the elite college basketball stratosphere. (That was quite the astronomy-laden sentence, if I do say so myself). Unfortunately, a new scandal is upon us as O.J. is accused of receiving money and gifts, which is an NCAA violation. Something about this story just doesn’t feel right. Don’t you think after the Reggie Bush scandal that the USC Compliance department would be overly vigilant? Wouldn’t Mayo be extra careful since he already had similar accusations in high school and saw what Reggie has gone through? But this O.J. Mayo story really hurts, and as a Trojan alum and former student athlete, I have a unique and admittedly biased opinion on this situation. And whether you like it or not, I’m going to share it with you.

This story has exposed a much larger and talked about issue – the state of amateur sports. First of all, nothing about O.J. Mayo is amateur, or any premier student athlete in a major sport at a big time university, and it’s time to stop pretending that they are. People buy Mayo jerseys. People pay to watch O.J. play. Television networks pay to broadcast the games. What exactly is it about Mayo that is amateur? Now, I played soccer so I actually cost the university money, but I was a student-athlete and subject to the same NCAA rules. With three hour practices everyday, 6 AM conditioning twice a week, weight lifting three times a week, traveling for road games, and individual workouts, there is absolutely no way that I could have handled soccer, school and a job. Soccer was my job, and I worked for free. However, if I am an elite basketball or football player, I’m still working for free but the university, sponsors, and others profit. I’m just saying…

After looking more into the story and checking out the details, I have to say that after the shocking headline “NCAA investigates O.J. Mayo receiving money, gifts,” the actual story is a bit anticlimactic. This Rodney Guillory character was the middle man between Mayo and BDA, a sports agency. Guillory received approximately $200,000 over time. How much did Mayo supposedly see? $30,000. College basketball purists are up in arms over $30,000? Thankfully, O.J. has come out and stated, “I understand compliance and I understand the rules. Any meal, I wouldn't pay for everybody but I would at least pay my end. When I went to go shop every once in a while, [Guillory] might have taken me to the store in his vehicle, but he didn't pay for any clothes for me."

One of the first things every single Trojan athlete does when they come in for their respective pre-seasons is sit through an excruciatingly long compliance meeting. You have to fill out documentation on who owns and pays for your car, where you live, what bank accounts you have, and any other personal or pertinent information. The other lovely item on the compliance check list is a quiz that attempts to prepare students of the many potential traps that may befall them. One question, for example, is “You and Coach go to dinner after a game (and you pay for your own meal) but your car breaks down. Can Coach give you a ride home? Can Coach call Triple AAA for you?” Yes, he can give you a ride home, and no, he cannot call Triple AAA for you. Your Coach, someone with whom you spend almost every day with, cannot call a towing service for his player who is stranded because that is deemed an extra benefit.

I understand the slippery slope theory and why there is an NCAA, but sometimes it is just mind bottling. In another instance, my soccer team worked at a Special Olympics day with hundreds of other regular students on campus. Every volunteer was given a free t-shirt to thank them, except for us soccer girls. Any non-student-athlete could receive the free t-shirt, but that was classified as an extra benefit for us. The t-shirt is not the point. I’m not complaining about a $10 t-shirt, because the volunteering experience was amazing by itself. But how can a t-shirt be free for one student and an NCAA violation for another, just because one is ridiculously good at soccer (and skilled in the art of sarcasm)? I’m just saying…

My last point is this. If the outrage over this situation is that student-athletes are amateurs and not professionals and should not be compensated as if they are, then they should also not be negatively targeted as professionals. Instead of smearing O.J.’s already beleaguered name (thanks to the Heisman winner that we don’t speak of), they should have been blasting Louis Johnson who benefited from O.J.’s future potential, kept potentially damning receipts, and hopped off the O.J. bandwagon as quickly as he could so he could throw Mayo under the bus. Who is the real culprit and who is the villain in this scenario? ESPN put its “Outside the Lines” piece together before O.J. even knew of the allegations. Kelly Naqi, the host of this edition, confronted Mayo after his press conference with a camera crew to ask if he would like to discuss these allegations… privately. With a camera crew. That will be broadcast on ESPN. The most watched sports network. Privately? I’m just saying…

Now in the off chance (did I mention I’m a trusting person?) that O.J. is not telling the truth and had any knowledge or involvement in these allegations, then I get mad. I love USC. I loved my four years there, and will forever be a Trojan. Heck, my kids will be Trojans (if I can afford it). So if you are going to come to my school and wear the cardinal and gold and represent the roughly 200,000 living alumni, then you had better do so with class, dignity, and if at all possible, a national championship. O.J. knew he was leaving after a year (we all knew) and knows he will soon be signing a multi-million dollar contract. Just wait nine months, hang out, go to the 9-0, catch a football game. Respect what USC is, what it has done for you and thousands of others, and let us continue our impressive and successful legacy. I’m just saying…