Josh Shaw Comes Clean, USC Suspends Him Indefinitely

Over the weekend USC cornerback Josh Shaw made headlines as his tale of heroism made its rounds. According to his own account, he sustained two high ankle sprains after jumping from a second story to rescue his seven-year-old nephew from drowning in a pool.

Within days Shaw’s account of what happened began to be questioned in the media, and today he put those questions to rest. The Los Angeles Times reports that Shaw came clean to school officials, admitting he lied about how he sustained his injuries.

He has since retained an attorney and issued the following statement:

“On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not 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.”

So that answers one question, but what we don’t know yet is why.

Although Shaw finally fessed up, the motivation for manufacturing the elaborate story has not been revealed. There have been rumors that he was involved in a domestic altercation with his girlfriend, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian said that he was disappointed in Shaw for lying, but commended him for admitting his mistake and apologizing.

“Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable,” Sarkisian said.  “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.”

Shaw has since been suspended indefinitely by the team. More information will likely become available as the investigation into the incident unfolds. There’s no chance we’ve heard the last of this story.

USC opens up at home against Fresno State on Saturday.