OJ Mayo accepts tickets from 'Melo, could be NCAA rule violation

**Cloner97** · 01-24-2008, 09:51 AM

I'll be the first to say I haven't researched what the circimstances are. But, it sound like these two guys were out somewhere? Isn't OJ a Freshman? Maybe he's a Curtis Stinson tyope freshman and is already 20. Still underage though......

**Tweedt4Cy** · 01-24-2008, 10:31 AM

Even though i dont agree with the ncaa's decision on lucca i still dont believe they will do anything about this situation. its not just because they are usc though. I dont think they have proof that mayo isnt friends with melo. (personal opinion) also i dont know if any of you saw the story about mayo on sc. i thought it was a very good story, and some people on here are hating on the kid cause he goes to usc. I like the kid as a player. STUD! Still dont think there gonna do anything about this situation though.

**Scott34** · 01-24-2008, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by cycloneworld

The NCAA needs to monitor things like this. We have no idea if Mayo and Carmelo are friends or if they just met the night before the game.

If you start allowing this kind of stuff, who is to say that Mayo "future" agent (which he already has right now) won't get more tickets and other things friends can supply from professional athletes?? All they have to do is say they are "friends" with the college kid and that makes it ok...

I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning and they said that Melo and Mayo have been friends since middle school.

**DaddyMac** · 01-24-2008, 11:26 AM

I thought Jiri was "friends" with those people - didn't they know his family or something.

And he was nailed.

**cybsball20** · 01-24-2008, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

I thought Jiri was "friends" with those people - didn't they know his family or something.

And he was nailed.

Had they not been 'boosters'* of Iowa state he would have been fine.

*boosters in the absolute loosest form of the word.

**DaddyMac** · 01-24-2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

Had they not been 'boosters'* of Iowa state he would have been fine.

*boosters in the absolute loosest form of the word.

Right! When was his NCC membership? Back in the 80's or something, wasn't it?

**tube1** · 01-24-2008, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by DaddyMac

The issue isn't that USC is doing anything wrong.

The issue is that it could be considered improper in they could be wooing Mayo to be a Nugget, or Anthony could be working on the behalf of any one of his sponsors that he promotes to later sign Mayo, and so on.

Michael Jordan got slapped last year for speaking with Kevin Durant - kind of the same thing.

In that case, the NCAA should use its 'supreme powers' to declare Carmello Anthony ineligible for the rest of this NBA season and make the Nuggets ineligible for any post-season play to to the extra benefits doled out my Mr. Anthony. Furthermore, all victories achieved by the Nuggets during the 2007-2008 season with Anthony on the court will go down as forfeit losses.

The NCAA has power to do this, right? At least I'm sure they think they have this power!

**cyclonenum1** · 01-24-2008, 11:47 AM

The NCAA is very messed up. There is no reason that this should be a problem...it is just a friend giving a friend a couple of tickets. I certainly don't know all of the NCAA rules (I doubt anyone does since they have so many), but unless there is one that specifically says that a scholarship athlete cannot accept complimentary tickets under any circumstances then nothing was done wrong here.

The NCAA, I believe, is trying to limit undue influence on kids. What influence would Carmelo be trying to exert on Mayo? To come to the Nuggets? Please! The draft will decide where Mayo goes and the NCAA doesn't govern the NBA anyway. It would be different if Mayo was still pondering his college options and a high profile person like Carmelo from Syracuse was giving him things...but that is not the case here.

**Ficklone02** · 01-24-2008, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by cyclone#1

The NCAA is very messed up. There is no reason that this should be a problem...it is just a friend giving a friend a couple of tickets. I certainly don't know all of the NCAA rules (I doubt anyone does since they have so many), but unless there is one that specifically says that a scholarship athlete cannot accept complimentary tickets under any circumstances then nothing was done wrong here.

The NCAA, I believe, is trying to limit undue influence on kids. What influence would Carmelo be trying to exert on Mayo? To come to the Nuggets? Please! The draft will decide where Mayo goes and the NCAA doesn't govern the NBA anyway. It would be different if Mayo was still pondering his college options and a high profile person like Carmelo from Syracuse was giving him things...but that is not the case here.

Yeah I agree with this...although, I'm not so sure it would matter even if OJ was in high school and receiving tix, etc. from Melo. I think the question is whether Melo is a booster of the school OJ was looking to go to. IE, if OJ was going to Syracuse it would be a problem, assuming Melo is a booster of that school.

To be honest though, I don't fully understand there rules, so I'm not going to try to be the authority on this.

**CYdTracked** · 01-24-2008, 04:17 PM

Not sure if this has been posted yet but now Floyd is going into spin mode with this as well: ESPN - Floyd says he gave Mayo permission to accept free tickets from Melo - Men's College Basketball

Bottom line this ticks me off because you know he'll get a slap on the wrist for it most likely and then you have us who has Lucca that got the royal hose job for NOT accepting money or gifts and the Jiri mess awhile back was a joke too. Bottom line, if you are a big name athlete playing for a big name school you'll likely get nothing more than a slap on the wrist unless you really did something bad. If you play for someone no one cares much about nationally you can expect the book to be thrown at you.

**superdorf** · 01-24-2008, 04:25 PM

Have you ever treated one of your kids friends to a movie or a sporting event? Is that friend an athlete? Are you a supporter of ISU? What if that friend is recruited to ISU? You may have done something improper if that is the case.

I don't believe there is any wrong doing here.

**cybsball20** · 01-24-2008, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by travman23

Bottom line, if you are a big name athlete playing for a big name school you'll likely get nothing more than a slap on the wrist unless you really did something bad. If you play for someone no one cares much about nationally you can expect the book to be thrown at you.

Nope, thats not the case at all, HE DIDN"T BREAK A RULE. In Lucca's case amd Jiri's as petty as it is, it was against the rules.... Yeah, it's crap but the rules are the rules...

**CYdTracked** · 01-24-2008, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

Nope, thats not the case at all, HE DIDN"T BREAK A RULE. In Lucca's case amd Jiri's as petty as it is, it was against the rules.... Yeah, it's crap but the rules are the rules...

NCAA bylaw 16.11.2.2.3 states that student-athletes may not receive "free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics contests from professional sports organizations, unless such services also are available to the student body in general."

So receiving free tickets to a NBA game isn't in violation of rules huh? Don't get me wrong, I think this whole thing is a little silly but my point is how much do you want to bet if let's say this was Rahshon and one of our former players or someone he knows in the NBA gave him free tickets to come see them play. How much you want to bet the NCAA wastes no time in suspending him for that because he's not at a big school like USC or a big name player that will likely be one of the top picks in the NBA draft this June? It's almost always been that way. How about this ongoing Reggie Bush stuff? That would have been settled a LONG time ago if we were talking about someone like Jason Scales I bet. We know how hypocritical the NCAA can be and I'm sure in this case it will be the same thing.

**Wesley** · 01-24-2008, 04:49 PM

"But Coach Floyd said it was okay. Coach knows the rules."

**cybsball20** · 01-24-2008, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by travman23

how much do you want to bet if let's say this was Rahshon and one of our former players or someone he knows in the NBA gave him free tickets to come see them play. How much you want to bet the NCAA wastes no time in suspending him for that because he's not at a big school like USC or a big name player that will likely be one of the top picks in the NBA draft this June?

If Clark gets tickets from a friend of his that plays, he can go, thats fine, it's not breaking any rules. As long as this friend isn't an executive in the league or with a team. This happens all the time... Remember the incident with Walton? That went beyond just the tickets because he also got a plane ride, so he had to pay back the plane ticket and got suspended one game. The same article says that little Dunleavy (also on USC) takes players to Clippers games all the time...