The University of Southern California announced that senior cornerback Josh Shaw will be suspended indefinitely after he lied about an incident in which he sprained both of his ankles. Shaw originally said he leapt from the second story of an apartment complex to save his nephew who was struggling to swim in a pool.
The school issued a statement on Wednesday about their decision to suspend Shaw for lying after USC received a number of calls that put into question the veracity of Shaw's story. School officials began investigating the matter, and shortly thereafter, Shaw confessed to team officials that he lied about how he hurt himself and that the story was completely untrue.
"We are extremely disappointed in Josh," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said in the statement, via USCTrojans.com. "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."
USC did not provide an alternative explanation as to why Shaw sprained both of his ankles, which remains highly in question. Athletic Director Pat Haden said the school is only aware that Shaw's story is a fabrication while other details remain unknown at this point. But the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday that Shaw's name was in a report from an incident that occurred at the Orsini Complex on North Figueroa Street on Saturday at 10 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Times.
Shaw is not a suspect in any crime, but authorities are trying to find a way to speak with Shaw and his girlfriend to ask them some questions. The police arrived at the scene on Saturday responding to a report of a woman's screams on the third floor of the Orsini Complex. A neighbor of the apartment in question said a man was seen running across or scaling a balcony, and after the description of the man was provided to a female resident of the apartment complex, she responded, "Sounds like my boyfriend, Josh Shaw," according to Lt. Andrew Neiman of the LAPD. However, she also said that Shaw was out to dinner with friends.
Nonetheless, Shaw will remain suspended as more details of the investigation come into light.
"I made up a story about this fall that was untrue," said Shaw, in this ESPN article. "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."
