USC senior cornerback Josh Shaw has admitted to lying about how he suffered his ankle injuries last weekend and has been suspended indefinitely by the school as of Wednesday August 27th.
Shaw had previously stated he had suffered a pair of high ankle sprains Saturday night after jumping from the second story of an apartment complex to save his 7-year-old nephew from drowning in the pool. Shaw said his nephew did not know how to swim and saw him struggling nearby.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian stated that the University had been investigating the matter starting Tuesday, August 26th, as the school began receiving numerous calls questioning the credibility of Shaw's story.
"We are extremely disappointed in Josh," Sarkisian said in the statement. "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.
"I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. 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."
This comes as a huge blow to the Trojans football team, as well as the University as a whole. No one suspected Shaw made up the story as he is perceived as a young man with high character who was not capable of such a fib.
Shaw leaves a big hole in the Trojans secondary and without one of its leaders and captains both on and off the field.
The school has not released any information on how Shaw actually sustained the injuries to his ankles.