Tapes May Exist to Confirm Reggie Bush Accepted Gifts
As reported by Yahoo.com, tapes may exist that could confirm that New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush and his family took cash and gifts while he was still at USC. A grand jury subpoena issued by the US District Attorneys Office of California in San Diego requests of at least one witness to produce "any recordings in your possession of conversatons between Lloyd Lake and Reggie Bush, Denise Griffin, or LaMar Griffin." Denise Griffin is Bush's mother, LaMar is his step-father.
Lloyd Lake, the subject of the grand jury probe into extortion claims, was a founder in the failed sports marketing agency New Era Sports and Entertainment which attempted its startup with Bush as its first client. Lake and co-founder Michael Michaels told Yahoo! Sports in April 2006 that Bush and his family agreed to be partners in the agency in 2004, but later backed out of the deal after accepting cash, free rent and other benefits totaling $100,000. In an ongoing Yahoo! Sports investigation, nearly $280,000 in cash, rent and gifts was allegedly given to bush and his family. Lake and Michaels said in August 2006 they planned to file suit against Bush.
If the taped conversations involving Bush exist, and become public, Bush and USC could face penalties from the NCAA and Pac-10 Conference, both of which are already conducting their own investigations into the reports of extra benefits. Bush has said that he and his family did nothing wrong in regards to allegedly receiving extra benefits, and has not talked to the federal investigators. He is not cooperating with the NCAA investigation, which doesn't have subpoena power.
NCAA bylaw 12.3.1.2 states an athlete shall be deemed ineligible if he/she accepts benefits from agents or marketing representatives. It goes on to state that student-athletes, their family or friends cannot receive benefits or loans from agents. NCAA by-law 12.1.2.1.6 states athletes cannot receive preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual's athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete, unless specifically permitted under NCAA legislation. If the NCAA were to rule that Bush received extra benefits during his playing time at USC, he could be ruled retroactively ineligible. Some of those benefits date to the Trojans' national championship season in 2004 and could be rescinded. USC could face further sanctions and Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy could be taken away.
"I respectfully decline to comment on the media frenzy regarding Reggie Bush, his family and his college career," Bush's attorney David Cornwell said Wednesday. Cornwell had responded to the inital reports last April claiming Bush and his family were victims of an extortion plot. Cornwell spoke with federal authorities about the matter and claimed that Lake and Michaels tried to coerce Bush into repaying the money.
Lake's mother, Barbara Gunner, testified that she heard portions of the tapes made by her son, and that LaMar Griffin stated that Bush intended to repay New Era Sports "their money", as well as for the car purchased for Bush. Yahoo! Sports has learned that LaMar Griffin spoke with federal investigators in the spring of 2006 and acknowledged the tapes do exist. Griffin then told a federal investigator that Lake threatened to make the tapes public if the money was not repaid. In her testimony, Gunner told the grand jury that she provided at least $60,000 to help her son finance the startup business.