The saga of Josh Shaw is about to turn a page to the football field. Shaw has been reinstated by USC as of Tuesday evening, meaning there will be a chance to play football this season for the Trojans following one of the more bizarre stories we have seen off the field.
Shaw was under investigation for an incident in August that has concluded with no charges. Shaw’s story from that day was originally shared as a heartwarming story of heroism, in which Shaw allegedly saved his nephew from drowning ina pool after jumping off a second-story balcony. As it turns out, Shaw was actually running away from police arriving on the scene responding to a distress call. On Tuesday Shaw learned there would be no charges filed against him, which led USC to conduct its own review before making a ruling on his status with the football program. With no charges filed, this part went quickly and USC determined it was appropriate to reinstate Shaw. Shaw had been suspended as the police investigation was ongoing.
“For several months, local authorities have been investigating the August 23 incident involving Josh Shaw,” a statement from USC Athletics Director Pat Haden says. “They have now concluded that investigation and determined that no action will be taken against him. USC also conducted its own internal investigation of Josh, evaluating both athletic department code of conduct and potential NCAA compliance issues. Based on these investigations and their conclusions, and the 10-game suspension Josh has served for code of conduct violations, we have made the decision to reinstate him.”
“I’ve welcomed Josh Shaw back to the team,” a brief statement from USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I’m now in the process of evaluating how Josh can contribute to the team’s success.”
Just how soon Shaw returns to the football field remains unknown. USC plays rival UCLA this weekend and hosts Notre Dame in the regular season finale next week. Shaw seeing the field this week may be unlikely given the timing and importance riding on the outcome of the game in the Pac-12 South. A potential return to face the Irish and any bowl game to follow could be likely.