Apparently OJ Mayo might have violated NCAA policy by accepting “complimentary” tickets from Carmelo Anthony for Monday’s Nuggets/Lakers game at the Staples Center. The LA Times reports that:

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.”

Whoops! OJ Mayo didn’t do himself any good when asked for comment on his gratis $230 dollar seats,

Anthony made the offer of tickets at a party he hosted Sunday night, Mayo said.

“I was talking to him like, ‘Man, you’re out pretty late. You’ve got a game tomorrow against Kobe [Bryant],’ ” Mayo said. “He said, ‘Nah it will be all right.’ And then he asked, ‘You want to come to the game?’ And I was like, ‘Sure.’ “

Mayo said his seats for his first Lakers game were so good “I could talk to [television analyst] Reggie Miller and tease him about UCLA.”

Well lets see, first Reggie Bush possibly could be ruining the football program’s legacy after news he took improper benefits from prospective agents and now this happens to the USC basketball program, before they even get the chance to do anything of importance on the court.

Can USC keep its players from taking shit? How hard is it to tell these guys to “not take anything from anyone because you are being watched”. I mean, its probably easy for some scrub on the offensive line or a 3rd string point guard to take something, but c’mon now, EVERYONE is watching OJ Mayo???

Granted, with all the hype that OJ Mayo has as a player his team is just 11-6 with a 2-3 conference record so far but at least he is averaging 19.7 points a game (with a team high 3.9 turnovers a game). So even with OJ performing as great as he can be, his teams stinks. Do they really need him messing up their tournament (NIT anyone?) & scholarship opportunities?

This season was just a way for him to jump to the pros without getting hurt anyway, so screw him. Kick his ass out and leave him to get drafted by the Timberwolves, that’l show his pampered ass somethin and maybe he’ll start following the rules.

From LA Times

Yes 2008 is here and everyone can now resume their normal lives after a nice holiday break, at least it was a nice holiday break for the Deuce. Since we were last here, several bowls have been played, we’re gonna give you some of the most interesting images that we’ve found from them all.

(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Vince Hall Injures Knee At Beach Outing

(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

(AP Photo/Bill Waugh)

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

(AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

(AP Photo/Charles Smith)

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

(AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The Washingon City Paper picked up on an interesting and tragically hilarious side note at the Sean Taylor funeral in Miami today. That is, that O.J. Simpson was in attendance.

This is Suge Knight at last Saturday’s USC football game. There is nothing good that can come out of Suge Knight roaming the sidelines of a collegiate football team. How did he get on to the field, does USC not know he’s a convicted felon with many connections to Los Angeles gangs? Who owes this man money? Which students are being bought off with cars, women and straight cash homie? After the game, do Suge and Pete Carroll light up a spliff and laugh about which chickenhead cheerleaders they’re going to nail that night?

The LA Times wants to know why he’s on the sidelines as well. They’ve set up a poll to get to the bottom of it. The NCAA should jump into a giant investigation to figure out what connection Suge has with this team. It just cannot be good.

Luckily, having Suge in a pseudo sports story allows us to dip back into the Death Row Records archives for your listening enjoyment. Dre Day, what a classic song and video.

You tried your best and you wildly succeeded. The lesson is “never try”. That’s the lesson if you coach basketball at Our Savior Lutheran in the Bronx.

Basketball coach Oswald Cross was fired after four years in charge for being too good.

“I was shocked,” said Cross, who has coached at his alma mater for four years. “They said they were going in a different direction with the program, to focus on intramurals.”

The school is a small private school that according to the Daily News has quickly turned into a city powerhouse. This is unacceptable for the school’s administration. Perhaps they think they can attract worse players if they have the top intermural program in the city.

“I like Mr. Cross personally, but I think there was a difference in philosophies,” OSL admissions director Rev. Paul Sauer said. “He was making the team into a national powerhouse and the school – we are a very small school – did not have the resources or abilities to support that.”

It seems Sauer didn’t inform Cross that part of his duties would consist of continuing a proud tradition of not being very good at all.

Sauer had no comment on the rumor that Our Savior is considering buying out Tim Floyd’s contract and bringing him to the Bronx. If they’re unsuccessful in their pursuit of Floyd, they can always go after Isiah Thomas.