USC’s Josh Shaw Reveals Truth Behind Fake Pool Rescue Story

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USC cornerback Josh Shaw has finally broken his silence to explain why he fabricated a story about injuring both of his ankles to save his nephew from drowning.

In August, the story made national headlines when USC published a story stating that Shaw had injured both of his ankles after he jumped off the third story balcony of his cousin’s apartment complex in Palmdale, Calif., and landed on concrete trying to get into a pool in efforts to save his nephew from drowning.

The story made Shaw out to be a hero, but the only problem was that it was not true.

“I never wanted this deal to go viral at all, it was not my intention at all,” Shaw told the Times. “I thought coaches would say OK and we’d just deal with it.”

The player maintained the lie for three days before releasing a statement saying that he lied about the story. Just as quickly as he had been praised, he became the subject of criticism.

What really happened, according to Shaw, is that he had an argument with girlfriend Angela Chilton, and a neighbor called the police. He fled by jumping from the balcony when he saw the police. Both maintain that the argument — while loud — never turned physical.

“We were not on good terms when she left, I thought she had somebody call authorities,” Shaw said. “I was thinking the worst. If she did say anything, I’m a black man with dreadlocks, and with everything going on in the country at the time, all that stuff in St. Louis [Ferguson, Missouri] … in my mind, I’m going to leap from the balcony so authorities did not see me.”

He added: “I was in excruciating pain but I thought, how do I explain to my coaches that, as a senior captain, I just shattered both of my legs? I wanted to come up with something that they would say, ‘Josh, if you got hurt, that’s a good reason to get hurt.’ That’s where fabrication came in.”

As a result of the lie, Shaw was suspended indefinitely from the football team at the peak of the scandal. He was welcomed back to the football team by coach Steve Sarkisian in September. However, he has yet to play in a game.

“I thought I could find an easy way out of something, but that doesn’t work — I have made a mistake, and I have paid for it,” he said. “And whether I do play or don’t play again, I’ll forever be grateful [to] USC for giving me a chance.”

Read the full story here.

(Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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