What started out as an uplifting story of heroism has now resulted in an indefinite suspension. USC has suspended cornerback Josh Shaw after the player admitted to university officials he did, in fact, exaggerate his heartwarming story.
Yesterday USC head coach Steve Sarkisian announced there was made aware of new information that may have contradicted the story shared by USC about Shaw. USC released a story about Shaw leaping into a pool from a second floor balcony to saving his nephew. In the process he hurt his ankles. USC admitted to being skeptical of the story, yet they published it anyway.
Now Shaw will be suspended for an undetermined amount of time for not being truthful to his team and school. The story he told led to the school being put in the awkward situation of having to pull and retract the original story which was universally received well and praised from coast to coast.USC’s Josh Shaw admits to USC officials that he fabricated story. Suspended indefinitely.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 27, 2014
“We are extremely disappointed in Josh,” said Sarkisian in a statement released by USC. “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.”
Police are investigating a break-in at an apartment that involves a “Josh Shaw,” although it has been unconfirmed that is targetting the USC player. As previously reported though, witness descriptions seem to suggest it is the same Shaw.