Photo Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg
He is back! USC cornerback Josh Shaw has been reinstated to the team.
His suspension last August was caused by him lying about how he suffered two ankle sprains. Shaw told the story about how his injuries were caused by him jumping from the balcony of his third-story apartment after arguing with his girlfriend. He initially told USC officials that the injury occurred from trying to save his drowning nephew and him having to jump out of his balcony to do it. The story quickly circulated around USC’s site and became national before Shaw could admit that he made it up.
Of course his reinstatement has been buzzing all over USC. Athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement, “For several months, local authorities have been investigating the August 23 incident involving Josh Shaw. 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.”
He went on to talk about how the decision to put Shaw in any up coming games is completely up the Coach Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian has repeatedly said throughout the season that there was a chance that Shaw would be able to come back.
For anyone wondering if Shaw will even be captain again, it is a no. Sarkisian told reporters after Tuesday’s practice that he was removing the title from the fifth-year senior.
Maybe Shaw did not realize how quickly this whole situation would get out of hand but lying does nothing good in the first place, especially if caught in the public eye somewhere like USC. This Saturday is USC’s big rivalry game against UCLA but since this happened so soon, no one knows yet if Shaw will play or not.
