USC cornerback Josh Shaw went from hero to zero in just a matter of days over the summer, and now he’s coming clean about the debacle that gained national attention.
Back in August, Shaw was praised when he initially told the school he suffered two high ankle sprains jumping off a balcony to save his drowning 7-year-old nephew. Shaw stood by the story for three days until finally admitting that everything was fabricated except for his injuries.
The story of Shaw’s lie spread just as quickly as the story of his heroism, and he recently explained to the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke why he told the elaborate tale.
Shaw explained that he had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend that prompted a neighbor to call the police. He maintains that although it was a loud argument, it never got physical. Nevertheless, Shaw got nervous when he saw the police and he responded by jumping from the balcony.
“We were not on good terms when she left, I thought she had somebody call authorities. I was thinking the worst,” he said. “If she did say anything, I’m a black man with dreadlocks, and with everything going on in the country at the time, all that stuff in St. Louis (Ferguson, Mo.) … in my mind, I’m going to leap from the balcony so authorities did not see me.”
Shaw, who was wearing flip-flops at the time, believed he had “shattered” both of his legs. Had he known his injuries weren’t that serious, he never would have concocted the complicated story, Shaw told Plaschke.
“I never wanted this deal to go viral at all, it was not my intention at all. I thought coaches would say OK and we’d just deal with it,” he said.
The senior was suspended indefinitely when he came clean, but he has since returned to the team and has been cleared to play.
Photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
