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 "I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to
not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part,"
Shaw said in a statement issued by his attorney, Donald Etra.
Etra said the 22-year-old senior defensive back and captain of the
Trojan football team did fall off of a balcony but declined to say
under what circumstances.
Shaw has been suspended indefinitely, USC said. The university had
publicized his story on Monday, with head football coach Steve
Sarkisian calling it a "heroic act."
The following day, Sarkisian told reporters the university was
vetting Shaw's story after it received calls questioning its
veracity.
The player had told USC he suffered two high ankle sprains on
Saturday after leaping from a second-floor balcony at an apartment
complex in Palmdale, California, to help his 7-year-old nephew who
was distressed in a swimming pool.
Los Angeles police said Shaw's name appeared in an incident report
from his girlfriend's downtown Los Angeles apartment on Saturday,
but that he was not a suspect in the matter, which was described as
a possible burglary case.
Police said someone matching Shaw's description was seen leaving the
apartment from a balcony.
Shaw's admission is an embarrassment for the popular college
football program days ahead from its opening game on Saturday.
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"We are extremely disappointed in Josh," 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."
Shaw, who was to be sidelined indefinitely with the injuries, told
USC he crawled to the pool in order to help his nephew and later
went to a hospital where he was diagnosed with the high ankle
sprains.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and David
Gregorio)
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