O.J. Mayo suspended after positive test
Tim Floyd trying to talk to OJ Mayo when he played basketball for USC.
Former USC guard O.J. Mayo has been suspended without pay for 10 games, after violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Mayo, currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone – a steroid precursor commonly known as DHEA.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I’m going to miss the next 10 games, particularly as our club is making a push for the playoffs,” Mayo said in a statement released on the team website. “I had no idea that the over-the-counter supplement that I took was a substance banned by the NBA.
“It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions.”
The suspension begins with Friday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mayo remains infamous in USC circles, for his involvement in an NCAA report released in June 2010 citing the university for a “lack of institutional control,” stemming from Mayo’s association with a runner, Rodney Guillory, for a sports agency. Previously, USC had self-imposed sanctions in January in preparation for the report’s release, preventing the team from participating in the postseason in 2010.
In the aftermath, the NCAA ordered that the university disassociate itself from Mayo, who declared for the NBA Draft following the 2007-2008 season.
He is averaging 12.2 points and 2.6 rebounds this season with the Grizzlies.