USC's Josh Shaw suspended after admitting lies

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2013, file photo, Southern California safety Josh Shaw recovers a Utah fumble in an NCAA college football game in Los Angeles. Shaw confessed that he lied to school officials about how he sprained his ankles last weekend, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew. The school swiftly suspended him from all football team activities Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014, and acknowledged his heroic tale was 'a complete fabrication.' (AP Photo/Pasadena Star-News, Keith Birmingham, File) NO SALES

Associated Press

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Josh Shaw has been an exemplary teammate and a valuable leader at Southern California, earning his fellow Trojans' trust and praise after transferring home to help his family two years ago.

His teammates and coaches say they had no reason to doubt the cornerback when he explained his two sprained ankles with an elaborate story about saving his nephew from drowning.

Shaw's tale turned out to be fiction, and USC is left wondering exactly what drove a team captain to such deception.

Shaw confessed Wednesday that he lied to school officials about how he injured his ankles last weekend, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony in a rescue bid.

The school swiftly suspended him from all team activities and acknowledged his heroic tale was 'a complete fabrication.'

'We are extremely disappointed in Josh,' USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. 'He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story.'

Shaw is a fifth-year senior who would have been a key starter in USC's defensive secondary. He was expected to play a major role for the 15th-ranked Trojans, who begin their first season under Sarkisian at the Coliseum on Saturday against Fresno State.

Now his college football career could be finished, and his teammates must figure out how to replace a player who willingly filled any role for the USC defense over the last two years.

'We were pretty shocked,' USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams said Wednesday morning. 'Josh Shaw is a pretty loyal guy. I would never expect him to make up a story. I would never expect that out of him as a team leader.'

After playing his freshman season at Florida, Shaw transferred to USC for the 2012 season, receiving a hardship waiver because he said he needed to assist his ailing father and grandfather with the family landscaping business in his hometown of Palmdale, California.

Shaw was a steadying influence on the USC defense, playing cornerback and safety while starting 14 games during a tumultuous 2013 campaign that included coach Lane Kiffin's midseason firing. His teammates chose him as a captain for his senior year.

Off the field, Shaw has been equally solid. He earned his coaches' praise for steady leadership and his teammates' respect during a humanitarian trip to Haiti. He completed an internship at a commercial real estate company in the offseason.

He was even selected to speak last May at the school's student-athlete graduation ceremony, where he gave a rousing speech after athletic director Pat Haden introduced him as 'a wonderful, wonderful kid.'

Shaw issued a short statement through criminal defense attorney Donald Etra on Wednesday after being suspended.

'On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall,' Shaw said. 'I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong not to tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part. My USC coaches, the USC athletic department and especially Coach Sarkisian have all been supportive of me during my college career and for that, I am very grateful.'

Etra didn't respond to a request for further details about the cause of Shaw's injuries, but the attorney told several media outlets that Shaw's injuries didn't involve any criminal activity.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that a man named Joshua Shaw was mentioned - but not as a suspect - in a report involving a break-in at a downtown apartment building Saturday night. The department has not made the report public.

Shaw's story began to unravel soon after the team captain was lauded for his heroics in a story on the team's website Monday. In the account, Shaw described how he instinctively jumped from a balcony, with no one around, to rescue his struggling 7-year-old nephew, Carter, from a pool.

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