USC’s Shaw admits he made up hero story

LOS ANGELES – The heroic tale of USC cornerback Josh Shaw rescuing his nephew from drowning turned out to be a lie.

What exactly happened that night, causing Shaw to injure both of his ankles, remains unclear.

Shaw admitted to school officials Wednesday afternoon that he fabricated the story posted on USC’s website, ending a two-day whirlwind of rumors and speculation.

Shaw was suspended indefinitely from all team activities.

“We are extremely disappointed in Josh,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian said in a 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.”

Shaw issued a statement through his lawyer, Donald Etra. “I was wrong to not tell the truth,” Shaw said. “I apologize to USC for this action on my part.”

Etra is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who has represented celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Rihanna, according to Etra’s firm’s website.

Despite Shaw’s name appearing in a police report Saturday night – when Shaw was injured – Etra insisted that Shaw was not involved in any criminal activity.

“It is my understanding that there is no further investigation that will be conducted,” Etra said in a phone interview Wednesday. “The reason for that is, nothing criminal happened.”

A man named Josh Shaw was listed in a police report as the boyfriend of the victim of a possible break-in at an apartment a few miles from the USC campus.

Police responded about 10:40 p.m. to a radio call of a woman screaming at a residence at the Orsini Apartments in the 500 block of North Figueroa Street.

Officers were directed to an apartment unit but found no one inside. They did see that the rear window had been pried open, and witnesses said they saw a “black male with dreadlocks” leaving via a balcony. Eventually a woman arrived at the empty apartment and told police that her boyfriend, Josh Shaw, matched that description.

Etra said Shaw hurt himself when he “fell off a balcony.” Etra confirmed that the incident happened at the Orsini Apartments but declined to divulge further details.

The Orsini Apartments are seven-story-tall buildings that sit on three of the four corners of Sunset Boulevard and Figueroa Street connected by bridge-like walkways. They have secured entrances, guards and private parking structures. The balconies have metal railings and generally are in close proximity to one another.

Building office personnel would not comment on the incident when approached by a reporter Wednesday.

LAPD officer Nuria Vanegas said there were no updates on the case in which Shaw’s name appeared. She reiterated that he is not a suspect in the report.

The saga began Monday when USC – despite some reservations – published a story on its website describing how Shaw hurt himself jumping from a second-story balcony to save his 7-year-old nephew from drowning in his hometown of Palmdale, about an hour north of L.A.

Media outlets, including the Register, reported Shaw’s story and it went viral. It took a turn Tuesday when Sarkisian announced the school was investigating Shaw’s account after it received phone calls contradicting the story.

Shaw coming clean Wednesday at least gives the team, which opens its season Saturday against Fresno State, an opportunity to move forward.

Although Sarkisian and the two players made available to the media Wednesday maintained that the Shaw situation was not a distraction, it was not business as usual after the 8 a.m. practice at Howard Jones Field.

About a dozen cameramen set up near the wall where Sarkisian conducts his post-practice press briefings, and at least twice that many reporters crowded around him when he spoke. At that time, Sarkisian described the Shaw situation as being in “a holding pattern.”

Sarkisian met the media after huddling with several team leaders for 5-10 minutes. The group included quarterback Cody Kessler and defensive captains Hayes Pullard and Leonard Williams.

The possibility that Shaw had lied surprised Pullard and Williams. Like those two, Shaw had been voted a team captain over the weekend. He was considered one of USC’s top leaders.

“We were pretty shocked,” Williams said Wednesday morning. “I would never expect him to make up a story or something like that. If it’s real or not … I would never expect him, as a captain, to be in that situation.”

Unfortunately for the Trojans – or perhaps fortunately – most of them are well-versed in dealing with adversity and distractions. In June, the football program emerged from NCAA sanctions that included lost scholarships and bowl bans. Last season, USC cycled through four coaches. The team still finished 10-4.

“The players have a strong mindset,” Williams said. “They’re not going to let something outside of what we have to work on affect us.”

“Nothing’s changed,” sophomore safety Su’a Cravens tweeted after Shaw’s admission. “Were still going to do what we need to do and handle our business. Time to focus on Fresno St.”

USC apologized Wednesday for posting the original story.

NOTES

Tailback Tre Madden continues to wear a boot on his right foot because of a turf-toe injury. USC is taking a cautious approach with Madden’s recovery, and it’s unlikely he’ll play in the opener. … Right guard Khaliel Rodgers (knee) will be a game-time decision but isn’t expected to play other than in an “emergency-type role,” Sarkisian said. Freshman Damien Mama will start. … Backup guard Jordan Simmons (knee) isn’t expected to be cleared and is considered week to week.

Staff writer Alma Fausto contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com