O. J. Mayo Report 2: Investigation, the ESPN Way

By: D.K. Wilson

ed. note - read D-Wil’s Monday column on O.J. Mayo here.

Chapter 2 of Marc Isenberg’s book, Money Players: A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for the Current and Future Pro Athletes, is titled, “College Rules!”

The initial words of the chapter are these from sports agent Richard Woods:

“As soon as you have given a player money you have corrupted the relationship… it’s [now] a creditor-debtor relationship.”

The very next words are from Tim McGee a former football player:

There’s a 100% chance you’ll be offered money.

Next are Isenberg’s highlights for the chapter:

Taking money or gifts from agents is a bad move.

As a college athlete your eligibility is your greatest asset.

Follow NCAA rules, even if you don’t think they’re fair.

The UAAA (Uniform Athlete Agents Act) and SPARTA (Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act) elevate violations of NCAA rules to a crime.

Isenberg’s short but informative book takes the athlete, parent, or anyone acting on behalf of an athlete through the necessary steps to plot a future from collegiate player to professional “money player.” The author explains step-by-step how to enter the pro ranks unscathed and free from the clutches of venomous agents and middlemen, how to plan your career as a one-person corporation in professional sports by assembling the right team of people around you, investing in the right places as opposed to the best-sounding thing that comes your way, why it is of utmost importance to take care of your body because that is the machine responsible for you earning a paycheck on a pro team, and finally how to bow out gracefully and retire prepared for life after playing sports.

From that description, O. J. Mayo needed to read this book. And if not all of it, certainly Chapter 2.

But the unseemly part of the Mayo story is that when Rodney Guillory got to the young man who, as a 7th-grader, played basketball in a different state - Kentucky - than that of his home state of West Virginia so he could play on a varsity team, Mayo was only 14. And at that tender age, the thought of college is far enough away that the message of Isenberg’s Chapter 2 would have more than likely fallen on deaf ears.

And by the time Mayo would have been ready to receive Isenberg’s words of wisdom and warning, Mayo was in so deep with the vultures that there was no turning back the clock to a time of innocence.

——————-

Before we go further with indicting O. J. Mayo, we must retrace our steps to the last time we saw Kelly Naqi in an investigative role. It was 2007, the setting was a non-descript room with Naqi in low lights sitting across from a voice-altered, darkened figure. The man was describing, among other things, his night of dog fighting with Michael Vick. Remember the man told the world that “his” dog fought - and defeated - Vick’s dog in a fight; that Vick was a big man in the dog fighting game.

Remember that what came from Naqi’s interview with the “informant” was the story that there were photographs and a video of Vick at that dog fight.

Remember that, despite promises to the contrary, neither Naqi nor anyone she ever spoke with produced one photograph or one video clip, or any other piece of concrete evidence - nothing beyond an informant’s “confession” - regarding Vick and dog fighting.

Remember that on a Thursday Naqi reported that IRS agents had spread across Vick’s property like ants on a just left by humans’ lunch picnic table. Naqi told us that the agents were coming away from the quarterback’s property carrying boxes with - well, Naqi did not know what. However, the most memorable images from that day were those of agents - particularly one female agent - making repeated trips to and off Vick’s property with open, empty boxes.

That same day Naqi took us to a pet store near the Vick-owned property where he was alleged to have purchased “syringes” and “medicine” in an apparent effort to make us believe Vick was injecting pitbulls with painkillers or anti-bacterial medicine. The clerks at the pet store mentioned “syringes” and “supplies,” but not medicine.

This story died a quick and quiet death.

The following day Naqi stood alone at the house Vick purchased for his cousin Davon Boddie and admitted that she knew little and it appeared that little by the way of evidence was produced. She announced the conclusion of that particular round of the investigation by federal agents.

Remember that early the next week, after a pronouncement that no indictment on Vick was forthcoming, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank left for a vacation trip to Africa. Remember that nine days later Naqi was back at the home owned by Vick surrounded by even more federal agents buzzing around the grounds. But this time, Naqi reported that acting on a “tip” the agents were conducting archaeological-style excavations of an area separate from any other previously shown.

Finally, the feds had carcasses. And that is where we last saw Kelly Naqi in a major investigative role.

———————

Now we find Naqi heading a four-month investigation into potential NCAA violations by O. J. Mayo. Naqi alleges that Mayo illegally received cash and gifts from Calvin Andrews of Bill Duffy and Associates (BDA Sports Management) through middleman (also called a “runner”) Rodney Guillory.

To achieve this end Naqi interviewed Louis Johnson, a former sportswriter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, who became an associate of Guillory’s and also acted as a runner for BDA. Johnson split from Guillory earlier this year because, according to Naqi, “Guillory misrepresented some things Johnson said and sabotaged Johnson’s relationship with Mayo.” the alleged BDA middleman failed to pay him for services rendered. So, he was turned to ESPN and Kelly Naqi - and turned informant.

Naqi, through Johnson, showed receipts to stores and hotels that apparently corroborate Johnson’s story.

Unlike the Vick informant, Johnson is well-spoken and even said that, in the end, he came forward because he has Mayo’s well-being in mind. Of Guillory, Johnson says:

“Rodney is kind of the ultimate chameleon in the AAU, college, professional basketball runner world. He has the ability to charm you and at the same time plot against you in the blink of an eye.

“He wanted to be the guy who markets him, who builds his brand, who guides his career, and eventually becomes this personality within himself.

“This thing wasn’t just about O. J. It was also about Rodney and him wantin’ to be a star. He wanted to be the guy. He wanted to have his ego fed, He wants his butt kissed. And everybody who dealt with him saw that, experienced that, or felt it on some level.”

But it turns out that Johnson has some of what he describes as Guillory’s mal-traits in him. During an ESPN.com chat with Naqi Monday the following exchange took place:

Antoine (Germantown, Md): Did you feel the person providing information on O.J. was snitching due to no longer being in Mayo’s posse or was their an apparent “enlightenment” in the man’s lifestyle?

Kelly Naqi: I feel like in my job, I can’t definitively say what’s in a person’s head. I can say that there was an element of being hurt over what Johnson felt was Guillory ‘’sabotaging” his relationship with Mayo. He was hurt by Mayo believing Guillory. There was definitely an element of hurt. But I also feel that there was sincerity in his deciding that he wanted to move in another direction.

Kelly Naqi: Johnson had said that as a former journalist, part of his role in the group was to keep notes on Mayo’s life. He does hope to write a book now, about his experiences in the Mayo inner circle.

What is odd about the Naqi-Johnson interview is that the portions of Johnson’s diatribe that deal with the NCAA are left in the interview. It is odd because Johnson was allowed to shift blame for the incident away from Mayo, Guillory, and Bill Duffy, who are Naqi’s primary targets. However, with a close listen to Johnson’s NCAA rant, his motives for turning face on Guillory and Mayo become starkly clear: But by pursuing this line of questioning, Naqi loses control of the interview. It gave the appearance of Naqi talking with a reporter who had gone undercover as a runner - Johnson - rather than Naqi grilling a slimy informant:

Naqi: How does the cash get from the agent to the runner without being spotted by the NCAA?

Johnson: Well, the fact of the matter is, the NC2A rules in the situation kinda are a joke. The way they have this thing set up right now - the NC2A - it kind of allows the runner system to thrive.

Basically, if you have a relationship with a kid, or you know someone who has a relationship with a kid prior to him becoming a “recruitable prospect” then you can pretty much do whatever you want to do with him and raise him. And that’s an NCAA rule - you can do that.

And so the fact of the matter is, if you want to get money to someone (smiles knowingly). If you’re fortunate enough to set up a relationship with someone who has had a relationship with that individual prior to - then you can funnel money right through them very easily.

Naqi: How are you saving O. J. by pointing out the violations that Rodney committed when O. J. was just as complicit?

Johnson: O. J. wasn’t as complicit in some of the things that happened and I think I’ve proven that because he wasn’t the direct beneficiary of a lot of the things that was happening….

Naqi: But he got something he wouldn’t have had access to otherwise and he got what he wanted.

Johnson: Yeah, but at the same time how can you, I, or anyone else really sit here and blame him with his circumstances. He’s born into this world. He didn’t have a choice about the situation he was born into. His circumstances dictated that he survive in a system that has a set - or I should say, has a set of guidelines on which you conduct yourself if you want to survive. He played within the rules of the game - and this is the game. Runners, agents, shoe companies, other elements —— this is the game! He had no choice but to play it.

Considering his circumstance, considering what was going on in his life, considering how he was living, O. J. had no choice but to play this game.

Johnson’s wish to turn his experiences into a book is evident. And the book will not implicate Mayo as Naqi-ESPN wishes for themselves, but Johnson wants to attack the big boys in Indianapolis at the NCAA offices. And Kelly Naqi provided him the platform to put that idea before the public.

Additionally, as if to make his point very clear, Johnson made it known with on simple statement that Mayo received perhaps $30,000 of the between $200,000 and $250,000 that Johnson alleges Duffy gave to Guillory to secure Mayo for BDA.

“The fact of the matter is O. J. has been pimped by Rodney.”

Naqi: Why did you decide to do this interview?

Johnson: Because I believe people need to hear this story. I was a party to some really sick things in regards to amateur sports. By being silent I was also complicit in nature and I realize that….

Naqi: You were more than being silent though. You were also an active member.

Johnson: Absolutely. And I accept my responsibility for that. And I believe that by coming forth, by talking about the things that I’ve seen, that it’s gonna force O. J. to make some changes in his life that he desperately needs right now.

He’s going to do more than talk.

Again, Naqi finds herself in the position of betting on one horse of questionable repute to get her to the ticket window. But like the dramatic darkened figure with Vick, Johnson made for good television with Mayo, Guillory, and Duffy. Whether there is more corroborating evidence to substantiate Johnson’s claims remains to be seen.

If it is Naqi’s job to place an ESPN investigation in the sporting public’s consciousness, she accomplished that. Johnson’s receipts plus the clerks at clothing stores who served Mayo might be enough to make a case. Plus, in California, if Duffy is found to be involved in this morass of graft, he, Calvin Andrews, and Rodney Guillory are subject to misdemeanor charges. If law authorities get involved in a case, the NCAA has no choice but to hammer someone. And that someone will most likely be USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett.

But short of engendering serious and fundamental change in the way agents can interact with high school - or younger - students, bringing down the Trojans basketball program, wiping Duffy off the sports agent map by forcing the disbandment or mass restructuring of BDA, rendering Guillory destitute, holding the NCAA responsible for its abominable one-and-done rule, and shaming soon-to-be-pro Mayo to the point where corporate endorsers make deaf when his name is uttered, Naqi’s investigation will fall short of its hype.

In reality, it will probably be a wonder if Naqi’s investigation can make a meaningful dent in any of “amateur” basketball’s maleficent behavior. Remember, it took the threat of bringing RICO charges against Michael Vick to make his attorneys think - and then blink in the face of persecutors.

What threat will it take in the case of O. J. Mayo? Let’s reserve judgment until Naqi and ESPN begin to focus their investigation. And let’s hope that, for once in a matter like this, they do the right thing.

Tags: Billy Duffy and Associates, Calvin Andrews, ESPN, Kelly Naqi, Luis Johnson, Marc Isenberg, Michael Vick, OJ Mayo, Rodney Guillory, USC Trojans

D.K. Wilson is a freelance sports writer. He is better known on the internet as "DWil," and writes for Sports On My Mind.

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6 Comments

1. let me get this right - your argument is espn ran a report on mike vick dogfighting and it was true so that makes espn not credible - yeah nice try

   Comment by mike on May 13, 2008

2. mike-
   The “darkened figure”, or “Mr. Mumbles” produced no evidence used by prosecutors against Michael Vick. He produced nothing at all to substantiate his claims and gave no statement to the investigators because they said his claims were “unreliable.”

   So no, the report was not true.

   Comment by D.K. Wilson on May 13, 2008

3. Two things:
   1) The “one-and-done” rule is not the NCAA’s policy; it is the policy of the NBA and the NBPA.
   2) The accounts of the secret informant in the ESPN report closely resemble the accounts in the federal indictment, for which Vick accepted responsibility in pleading guilty.

   Comment by Rob Daniels on May 13, 2008

4. Rob-
   1. Ahhh jeez, I sent in the wrong copy to NSR. The final version of this article is on my blog. I am truly sorry for that error.

   2. The federal case against Michael Vick was supplied almost entirely from statements provided by his co-defendant Tony Taylor (for which he received the reduced sentence on nine months).

   And even then Vick was forced into a plea deal under the threat of a superceding RICO indictment.

   Comment by D.K. Wilson on May 13, 2008

5. Using words like “persecuted” and “forced” into a plea deal gives the impression that you feel Mr. Vick was a poor, innocent fellow done his by his friends. Quite frankly, where do you expect evidence to come from if not people who committed the crime with him? You would threaten most people with RICO all day long and they wouldn’t “blink” because they didn’t commit any crimes. Apparently Mr. Vick was not in the position. Get over the poor, done wrong Mike Vick. You can get by in life being lazy, and you get by in life being stupid, but its damn hard getting by in life being lazy and stupid.

   Comment by Brenda on May 14, 2008

6. Brenda-
   Again, I am sorry for providing the wrong copy of this article to NSR. That should read “prosecutors.”

   Yes, he was forced into a plea deal. That’s the nature of a plea bargain when a defendant is set on taking a case to court. The prosecutors threatened Vick with superseding RICO Act charges which forced Vick’s defense team to recommend a plea bargain.

   Should you peruse the RICO Act, you’ll find that even if you were arrested and mistakenly charged with a crime but actually committed no crime, being indicted under the RICO Act would leave you with little chance of escaping the charges.

   You must understand - and this goes to anyone else as well - I am discussing the nature of investigative reports filed by Kelly Naqi. I did not say I believe Michael Vick is innocent of dog fighting charges. Do separate the two issues as they are distinctly different.

   If a print journalist attempted to write an investigative article using only one source for the story without finding at least three and for some newspapers more sources to corroborate the single source’s story, an editor - or the newspaper’s lawyers with a managing editor - would never, ever allow the story to be printed.

   So to allow these stories to air - Vick’s and Mayo’s - is doing a disservice to the public and to everyone involved with either investigation. As I wrote, they make for good television, but not for responsible journalism.

   Comment by D.K. Wilson on May 14, 2008

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