PAC-10 Investigating Reggie Bush's family home

[teke184 0]

Yahoo! Sports report: Reggie Bush's family home

 

By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports

April 23, 2006

 

 

 

 

SPRING VALLEY, Calif. – In this sprawling hilltop community with a breathtaking view of Sweetwater Lake, it was no secret who lived in the 3,000-square-foot house at the corner of Apple Street and Luther Avenue.

 

That home, residents would tell you, was where Reggie Bush's family lived.

 

That is, until this weekend, when the family abruptly packed up and vacated the residence – less than 24 hours after Yahoo! Sports approached Bush's mother about information linking the property to Michael Michaels, a man who is alleged to have tried to play a role in steering Bush toward an agent and who also has ties to a sports marketing company.

 

Days before Bush is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, unanswered questions about the residence and how his mother, stepfather and brother came to live in it within the last year have prompted the University of Southern California to refer the matter to the Pacific-10 Conference for an investigation.

 

NCAA statutes prohibit student-athletes or their families from receiving extra benefits from professional sports agents, marketing companies or their representatives. A breach of these statutes could result in an athlete being ruled ineligible, and games in which they played could be forfeited.

 

 

USC finished 12-1 last season, its 35-game winning streak and national championship bid both ending with a loss in the Rose Bowl to Texas. Bush, a junior running back, won the Heisman Trophy and elected to skip his senior season and turn pro in January.

 

In response to reporters' questions about the matter late last week, USC athletic department officials said they would look into it.

 

"Rather than jumping to conclusions, we need to determine the facts before commenting on this report," Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett said in a statement released by the school on Friday. "We have asked the Pac-10 to look into this."

 

State records show the Apple Street home was built in late 2004 and early 2005, then purchased by Michaels on March 29, 2005 for $757,500. Around that time, neighbors say Bush's family moved in. Whether they had visited the house while it was being built is unknown, but there is an inscription in one of the cement slabs in the driveway reading "The Griffins '05."

 

Michaels is the only person who has been listed on the deed to the home.

 

Bush's mother, Denise Griffin, was approached in the driveway of the house on Thursday, but declined to comment.

 

"I have absolutely nothing to say," Griffin said when asked about ownership of the property, which is where Bush's mother, stepfather LaMar and brother Jovan lived during USC's 2005 season.

 

Before moving to the house on Apple Lane, Bush's family was listed as living in an apartment elsewhere in Spring Valley, a community located about 13 miles east of San Diego.

 

At some point after Bush's family moved into the residence, Michaels and an associate named Lloyd Lake are said to have contacted San Diego-based sports agent David Caravantes and offered to facilitate Bush's recruitment. A source with intimate knowledge of the meeting said it took place during the 2005 college football season and that Michaels was looking for a local agent to handle the contract negotiations for players he intended to sign to his marketing firm.

 

Michaels and Lake told Caravantes they were planning to start a sports marketing agency with Bush as their anchor client. It was also during this meeting that Michaels and Lake mentioned the potential name of the agency: New Era Sports & Entertainment.

 

The pitch to Caravantes was said to have been simple: He would be Bush's agent and Michaels' marketing creation would handle the promotion of the USC star. At some point after pitching this idea, Michaels informed Caravantes that Bush's family was living in a home Michaels owned. Caravantes isn't believed to have met with Bush and was never considered to be in the mix before the USC star hired Reebok adviser Mike Ornstein and agent Joel Segal of Worldwide Football Inc. as his representatives.

 

Repeated attempts to reach Segal and Bush were unsuccessful.

 

While it's unclear what official role Michaels played in New Era Sports, indications are that the company barely got off the ground – if at all. According to corporation filings in California, paperwork for New Era Sports & Entertainment was drawn up on Nov. 23, 2005, and records list the business address in Los Angeles under an attorney named Phillip M. Smith Jr.

 

Contacted late last week, Smith Jr. refused to talk about New Era Sports – even declining to give public details such as a phone number for the company, where the New Era offices were located or who was serving as the company's current president or manager.

 

Asked why he wouldn't provide such information, Smith ended the brief telephone conversation, saying, "That's really not an issue that I want to deal with." He has failed to return multiple follow-up messages left at his office.

 

Further attempts to identify New Era produced a single web page with a company logo (http://newerasports.tv/) that contains no active links to indicate where New Era is located, what services are provided or how the company could be contacted. Searches also produced the internet blogs of three self-proclaimed employees of New Era Sports. One such blog included the company logo of New Era and pictures of several NFL players. That blog was taken down shortly after Yahoo! Sports obtained a hard-copy of the page.

 

Contacted about his alleged meeting with Michaels, Caravantes declined to comment.

 

Michaels – who is a member of the Sycuan Indian Tribe and works as a business development officer for the tribe's development corporation – failed to return multiple phone calls and was unavailable when Yahoo! Sports visited his home on three occasions this weekend.

 

The Sycuan tribe, which owns a casino and resort and is engaged in a number of business enterprises in the San Diego area, denied any knowledge of Michaels' relationship with the Bush family.

 

"The tribe is not aware of his involvement," said spokesman Adam Day, who had been approved to speak for the Sycuan's tribal government. "Any involvement that he has in this situation is his personal involvement. It has no connection or correlation to the tribe, its businesses or Mike's employment by the tribal development corporation.

 

"What tribal members do on their own time is their own business. It's not the business of the tribe."

 

Back at the house on Apple Street on Saturday afternoon, the moving trucks had come and gone. A flier offering cleaning services for movers was hung on the front door, and all the shades had been drawn shut. Through a garage window, only a few empty cardboard boxes and straggling trinkets were visible.

 

Across the street, neighbor Grant Sitton could only shrug.

 

"I don't know, I guess it didn't work out," Sitton said. "Oh well. They have a big payday coming next week anyway."

[MrRant 0]

I just read this. Looks fishy but it's not going to stop when Reggie Bush is getting drafted.

[devo 0]

...

 

Michael Michaels?

[teke184 0]

I just read this. Looks fishy but it's not going to stop when Reggie Bush is getting drafted.

 

No, it isn't going to affect Bush's draft position.

 

However, if true it takes some of the shine off of USC's accomplishments, much like Alabama in the early 90s.

 

 

In Alabama's case, a player on their National Championship team (1993?) had signed with an agent shortly after beating Miami in the Sugar Bowl and then played another season afterwards.

 

It resulted in the team forfeiting all their games the next season and contributed to the coach resigning shortly thereafter IIRC.

[Urban Warfare 0]

...

 

Michael Michaels?

 

Yup, I thought the exact same thing.

[teke184 0]

Random thought-

 

Has a Heisman Trophy winner ever subsequently had their accomplishments in their winning season wiped from the record books due to ineligibility?

 

If not, this could end up being a first.

[Bored 0]

Not to my knowledge and I doubt it would happen here. The NCAA's practice of taking away records has always seemed silly and the general public never really acknowledges it.

 

Fun fact though was that Houston was on probation when Andre Ware won the Heisman in 1989.

[teke184 0]

Not to my knowledge and I doubt it would happen here. The NCAA's practice of taking away records has always seemed silly and the general public never really acknowledges it.

 

Fun fact though was that Houston was on probation when Andre Ware won the Heisman in 1989.

 

That was a 50-50 shot given that the SWC was the conference involved.

 

IIRC, Baylor and Arkansas were about the only teams in the conference NOT on probation at some point in the 80s.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Not to my knowledge and I doubt it would happen here. The NCAA's practice of taking away records has always seemed silly and the general public never really acknowledges it.

 

Fun fact though was that Houston was on probation when Andre Ware won the Heisman in 1989.

 

That was a 50-50 shot given that the SWC was the conference involved.

 

IIRC, Baylor and Arkansas were about the only teams in the conference NOT on probation at some point in the 80s.

 

Wasn't SMU on some harsh, almost "death sentence" probation around this time? Their program has never really recovered either.

[teke184 0]

Not to my knowledge and I doubt it would happen here. The NCAA's practice of taking away records has always seemed silly and the general public never really acknowledges it.

 

Fun fact though was that Houston was on probation when Andre Ware won the Heisman in 1989.

 

That was a 50-50 shot given that the SWC was the conference involved.

 

IIRC, Baylor and Arkansas were about the only teams in the conference NOT on probation at some point in the 80s.

 

Wasn't SMU on some harsh, almost "death sentence" probation around this time? Their program has never really recovered either.

 

SMU got the "Death Penalty", or total cessation of football for one season, because they had a "slush fund" they used to pay their players.

 

They couldn't even field a team the season after that, when they were allowed to play a limited schedule.

 

 

They were on a downhill slide before that, but they've never had a winning season since then.

[Robert 0]

POSTED 10:58 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2006

 

IF REGGIE IS INELIGIBLE, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HEISMAN?

 

A great question that several readers have raised in the wake of the jarring revelation that the family of former USC tailback Reggie Bush apparently was living for free in a house owned by a guy who wanted to handle Reggie's marketing work is what happens to Bush's Heisman trophy if the NCAA ultimately finds that Reggie was ineligible for the 2005 season?

 

Our best guess is that Bush would lose the trophy, and that it would go to Texas quarterback Vince Young, who finished second in the voting.

 

And though we're not suggesting that Bush eventually will have to turn over the biggest individual prize awarded in college sports, this thing easily could spin out of control -- especially since the Yahoo! Sports story has been picked up by the AP and will get a lot more play on Monday as the national talking heads begin to focus on the story.

 

It's not exactly the kind of attention that the Bush family was hoping to receive five days before the draft, but none of them should be surprised by the fact that their apparent decision to accept a benefit from someone who wanted to represent Reggie has been exposed.

 

Meanwhile, look for other journalists with more resources that us to dig deeper into the relationship between the owner of the house, Michael Michaels, and agent David Caravantes. As we explained earlier on Sunday, it appears that Michaels and Caravantes are working together in the representation of South Carolina tackle Jabari Levey. Since Caravantes is certified by the NFLPA, he might be hearing (as soon as Monday) from the union regarding his role, if any, in the acquisition of the house.

 

Also, the fact that Caravantes used to practice with Joel Segal -- who now represents Bush -- could prompt the NFLPA to take a look-see at whether there was any connection between Segal and the house owned by Michaels.

 

This one is a mess, folks. And we think it's gonna get a lot messier, quickly

[Guest Felonies!]

The NCAA is so ridiculous sometimes when it comes to rewriting history for eligibility violations.

[2GOLD 0]

...

 

Michael Michaels?

 

Yup, I thought the exact same thing.

 

Would have been better if his name was Arliss Michaels, just for the sad irony of it all.

This sounds like it could explode and if it all is true then Reggie's family is stupid and the NCAA is lazy.

[tominator89 0]

Does this really matter? Bush will still get a huge payday in a week's time.

[teke184 0]

Does this really matter? Bush will still get a huge payday in a week's time.

 

It doesn't matter to Bush anymore because he's still getting paid as long as he signs a contract before he can get hurt.

 

 

It may mean a LOT to the NCAA, USC, and the Downtown Athletic Club and, if proven true, would probably be the biggest case of an ineligible player in NCAA history because that player won the Heisman and came a few ticks of the clock away from winning a national championship.

 

 

Imagine how fucked it would be if USC had won but Bush was declared ineligible... that would mean that Texas would have won the national title by forfeit and Young getting the Heisman as well.

 

 

 

 

To put this in perspective, it would be similar to a basketball player shaving points and jumping to the NBA, thereby screwing the university while still getting a payday.

 

John "Hot Rod" Williams did this to Tulane in the mid-80s, getting drafted while the university ended up on probation because of him.

[Guest]

I don't think it means much.............yet.

 

Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett said in a statement released by the school on Friday. "We have asked the Pac-10 to look into this."

 

That's the good part, is that Garrett was the one that asked the PAC 10 to look into it.

 

The bad part is that the actions of one person could possibly illegitimize the accomplishments of a TEAM.

 

I'm sure this happens a lot more than we know or would like to know.

 

Interesting, I'll wait to see how it all pans out before passing judgment.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Here's something I don't get. This purported home is in Spring Valley, CA which is I suppose a small suburb east of San Diego. Assuming Bush was actually attending class at USC, why would he be living a 2 1/2 hour drive away?

 

If anything, this is a perk more given to his family than him, so I don't know if that's the loophole this "Mike Mike" guy was looking for. I don't think they can punish a guy for the actions of his family, can they?

[Damaramu 0]

Yes. His family can't recieve benefits and you can't really punish the family....

[teke184 0]

Yes. His family can't recieve benefits and you can't really punish the family....

 

 

And, much like in the case of former LSU player Lester Earl, he'd probably have been aware of the benefits his family was receiving because of who he was.

 

I mean, this was a friggin' HOUSE, not a throwback jersey or a pair of sneakers. You'd think that Reggie would ask his parents "How are y'all affording this? I don't go pro for another year."

 

 

 

UPDATE-

 

According to the story Reggie Bush is telling on TV, the house was leased from the man in question.

 

 

He claims that "there is really nothing for USC to worry about", although I doubt it.

 

This is an organization that suspended Erick Barkley from St. John's because he traded cars with someone (and actually took a net loss on the deal, IIRC).

[Robert 0]

POSTED 2:53 p.m. EDT, April 25, 2006

 

BUSH HAD AGREEMENT WITH NEW ERA?

 

In what could be the next big step toward a finding that USC tailback Reggie Bush was ineligible for all or part of the 2005 football season and that USC knew or should have known about Bush's ineligibility, Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reports that sworn testimony from two hearings regarding a parole violation indicates that New Era Sports & Entertainment had an agreement of some sort with Bush.

 

Michael Michaels and Lloyd Lake founded New Era in 2005. Earlier this year, Lake faced the revocation of his parole from federal prison. At one of the hearings, Lake's lawyer, Marc Carlos, testified that "Mr. Bush — or through his associates — had made some type of agreement with Mr. Lake's group."

 

Carlos also testified that, after Bush signed with another group, there was a dispute over "representations made by Bush and his family to Mr. Lake's group" and that "they were going to discuss potential litigation — or a settlement involving Mr. Bush's involvement with that agency."

 

David Caravantes, an NFLPA-certified agent who reportedly was being lined up by New Era to handle the negotiation of Bush's football contract, testified as well. Caravantes confirmed his arrangement with New Era: "Lloyd [Lake] and I had got together in October [2005] to start a new sports management company with Sycuan. . . . Since October, Lloyd was a viable part of the company, helping recruit players, and in the process of merging this New Era Sports with Sycuan. In the process of this happening, you know, it obviously hurt the company because he had some relationships with certain players who ended up not signing."

 

Lake gave the following testimony: "I had a sports agency that we had formed, and we had a guy in, Winston Justice, from USC. . . . Reggie Bush came into town. And at that time he was going to go out with us."

 

The initial significance of this testimony is that it removes any credible doubt that, at some time after Bush's family moved into the house owned Michaels but before the completion of the 2005 football, Michaels was an "agent" within the meaning of the relevant NCAA bylaws. Thus, if it ultimately is shown that Bush's family paid anything less than fair market rent after Michaels became an "agent," then Reggie was necessarily ineligible under the NCAA rules for each subsequent game.

 

More importantly, the reference to "potential litigation" suggest that New Era had (or at least thought it had) some type of binding commitment with Bush. If such an agreement was reached prior to the completion of the 2005 football season, Bush was ineligible regardless of whether his mother and stepfather were paying fair value for the house owned by Michaels.

 

Also intriguing is Caravantes' reference not to Michael Michaels, but to his tribe -- Sycuan. The Sycuan tribe previously has denied involvement in Michaels' sports venture. The testimony from Caravantes potentially muddies the water.

 

Folks, this thing has gotten a lot uglier over the past 48 hours, and we've got a feeling that it will get uglier long before it gets un-ugly. As more evidence of the ties between Bush and New Era is revealed, it will be harder and harder for USC to claim that it didn't know -- and shouldn't have known -- that Bush had forfeited his eligibility either by striking a deal with New Era or through the receipt of benefits from New Era by his family.

[Robert 0]

Earlier Story:

 

It's another day, so there's another fresh round of information regarding the Reggie Bush scandal.

 

Citing a source familiar with NCAA compliance issues, the Los Angeles Daily News reports that USC could face serious sanctions. This contradicts a Monday report from ESPN.com's Joe Schad, who said that the Trojans likely won't land in any horse poop.

 

The key is whether the Trojans knew or should have known about the situation (if, of course, Bush's family was living for free or at below-market rent in the house owned by prospective marketing agent Michael Michaels).

 

"If, and it's a big if, USC knew or should have known about this, then anything is possible," the source told the Daily News. "If any of the coaches or staff members knew about it and didn't do anything about it, or conducted an investigation that was faulty, that would be egregious, a potentially major violation."

 

But if USC ultimately is required to forfeit any of its 2005 games, the program will not have to return its cut of the Rose Bowl money. "While schools can be forced to return revenues from the NCAA basketball tournament," the Daily News explains, "the NCAA isn't the sanctioning body for bowl games.

 

Still, nothing will happen in the near term, so we continue to believe that Bush gains nothing at all by talking about it. We had a chance to eyeball his performance on ESPN and FOX's Best Mutherf--kin' Sports Show, Period (we know that's not the real title, but we like the sound of it).

 

We weren't impressed by Reggie's words -- or his demeanor.

 

On ESPN, Bush declined to say who paid the rent for the house in which his family had been living. On FOX, Reggie said (to a round of applause from the audience and crotch nuzzling from the hosts) that he has "nothing to hide."

 

Reg, if you have "nothing to hide," then why not say who paid the rent?

 

Another telling comment, in our view, came during the ESPN interview, when Bush said that success leads to people who might try to "latch on to you" and "get something from you." That sounds to us like a reference to Michael Michaels, the owner of the house in which Bush's family lived, and it implies that something had been going on between the Bush bunch and Michaels before this story broke.

 

So what does any of this mean in the short term? We still don't know. If the story continue to grow as the week unfolds, there's a chance that the growing cloud over Bush's previously pristine image could be a factor in the Houston Texans' decision-making process at the No. 1 spot in the draft. If, for example, the Texans are troubled by the manner in which Bush is handling the questions being posed to him (either by the media or, possibly, by the Texans themselves), it could be the breeze that nudges them off of the fence -- and that prompts them to pull the trigger on defensive end Mario Williams.

 

If nothing else, the Texans have acquired some significant leverage in their contract talks with Bush's agent, Joel Segal.

[teke184 0]

If the Texans take Mario Williams, the Saints are *really* in the catbird seat at #2.

 

They have no interest in Bush but, because AJ Hawk, D'Brickashaw Ferguison, Haloti N'Gata, and others are going to still be available a few slots down, they may be able to get a good deal from Green Bay or the NY Jets to swap picks.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Why not just take D'Brickashaw? Hasn't N.O. been in need of a solid franchise o-lineman ever since Roaf and Turley left?

[teke184 0]

Why not just take D'Brickashaw? Hasn't N.O. been in need of a solid franchise o-lineman ever since Roaf and Turley left?

 

Brick is my top choice...

 

However, if I was the Saints, I'd be considering a drop down to either #4 or #5 if I could swing a good deal because they're low on first-day picks.

 

 

Trading the #2 to the Jets for the #4 and #26 sounds good considering Brick will likely still be on the board at 4.

 

Even if the Titans fuck them and take Brick instead of Young, Leinart, or Cutler, they could still get Hawk.

[Guest]

Bush is stupid. USC won't get into huge trouble, but they'll lose scholarships.

 

The Saints should take Brick, and if they don't, he could fall for a little while.