Josh Shaw Suspended For Fabricated Story
USC corner back Josh Shaw was a national hero, by all accounts, due to his resilient and brave act of saving his seven-year-old nephew from drowning in a pool. Now, he is the subject of social media mockery and a full-fledged pariah of sorts among the masses.
Shortly after Shaw’s heroic act of unselfishness captivated America, word began to leak to Steve Sarkisian via phone calls that Shaw’s story, resulting in two high ankle sprains that will sideline him “indefinitely,” may not have been (and proved not) real after all.
Live Feed
Saturday Blitz
Shaw was to have said to jumped off a two-story balcony onto the concrete, then crawled into a pool to save his near-drowning nephew. The heroic act initially went viral through USC’s website. Then Shaw’s amazing act of humanity went national via the Los Angeles Times and countless other news media outlets and captivated us all.
The very next day, Sarkisian admitted that there had been phone calls contradicting the initial account in regards to exactly HOW things transpired. In other words, Shaw did suffer two high ankle sprains definitely, but jumping off a balcony to save his nephew was NOT how it happened.
Turns out, Shaw lied about the whole thing. Three days before USC kicks off their season against Fresno State, the senior captain admitted his story was fabricated. After admittance of guilt, Shaw was suspended indefinitely from the USC football team.
Through a lawyer, Shaw issued the following statement:
"“On Saturday August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall,” said Shaw. “I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong not to tell the truth. I apologize to USC for my action on this 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.”"
Sarkisian responded in a statement of his own on the school’s athletic website that originally broke Shaw’s phony story.
"“I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him.”"
As the backlash builds, questions still remain. What EXACTLY happened with Josh Shaw for such an extreme to take place?
“I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him.”
TMZ Sports reports that Shaw had been named in connection to a burglary report. Although Shaw isn’t considered to be a suspect, and nothing had been stolen, an unidentified woman’s account explained the connection when Shaw fit her description of a suspicious person at the scene.
The woman said, “Yes, that sounds like my boyfriend, Josh Shaw.” Little information otherwise has been provided in regards to the particulars of the alleged “burglary”. Donald Etra, lawyer to popular celebs such as Snoop Dogg and Rhianna, confirmed that Shaw indeed suffered a fall from a third-story balcony (initially was speculated as a two-story fall). According to TMZ, police spoke to Shaw over the phone, and he denied ever being at the apartment complex. Since the investigation is ongoing, and a high-profile, celebrity lawyer is now involved, it’s only likely the information trickle has come to a screeching halt.
We still don’t know how long Sark will keep Shaw out of action beyond the sprained ankles, and it’s safe to say we won’t at least until all the details of his injury come out.