Lake says he believes USC knew of Bush gifts
A would-be San Diego sports marketer said Monday he laments dragging USC into alleged business dealings between him and former Trojans tailback Reggie Bush, a failed venture that has prompted a civil lawsuit and an NCAA investigation.
In a lengthy telephone interview, Lloyd Lake offered no evidence that USC officials were aware of the cash and gifts he allegedly showered on Bush. But when asked if he believed they knew, Lake replied: “I would have to say yeah.”
Lake said he came to this belief after several social encounters with USC assistant Todd McNair and after listening in on a telephone conversation between Coach Pete Carroll and Bush’s stepfather.
Lake is suing Bush and was paid to cooperate with the authors of a book, “Tarnished Heisman,” due in stores today. He was recently interviewed by NCAA investigators.
The incidents he discussed Monday date to the spring of 2005.
By that time, according to Lake and others involved in the case, Bush’s family -- stepfather LaMar Griffin, mother Denise and younger brother Jovan -- was living in a house owned by Lake’s business partner, Michael Michaels, but had failed to pay an agreed-upon rent.
Lake said he received panicked phone calls from Bush and Griffin. “They were basically telling me we’ve got to get some stuff together,” he recalled. “Basically telling me we’ve got to cover it up.”
According to Lake, Bush said Carroll and at least one other USC official had pulled the player into an office, saying they had received an anonymous e-mail about agents, free housing and other gifts.
Lake said he was at Griffin’s house when Griffin left a telephone message for Carroll. He said the coach called back within 10 minutes and Griffin discreetly put the call on speakerphone.
Carroll “sounded calm like it wasn’t a big deal,” Lake said. “He asked [Griffin] to put everything in order, to have a lease agreement. He said just have all your ducks in a row and it would be all right.”
At no point during the brief conversation did Griffin mention agents or cash, Lake said, and Carroll never said anything to suggest he knew about improper benefits.
Reached after a team meeting on Monday, Carroll declined to comment other than to say “we have cooperated with the NCAA and continue to cooperate.”
As for McNair -- who could not be reached -- Lake said he met the Trojans’ running backs coach on four or five occasions, including at parties in San Diego and Los Angeles.
McNair has previously said he did not know about any alleged improper benefits.
Asked why he believed McNair did know, Lake abruptly backed off, saying: “I didn’t want to do this, trying to take ‘SC down. Make sure you let people know that it was Reggie throwing his team under the bus.”
Bush has repeatedly said that neither he nor his family did anything wrong. His attorney, David Cornwell, declined to comment.
Lake and Michaels had courted Bush in hopes of signing him as the premier client for their fledgling marketing company, New Era Sports & Entertainment. They have previously stated, through their attorneys, that Griffin was involved in starting the company.
The deal fell apart when Bush chose an established marketing agent, Mike Ornstein.
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Times staff writers Gary Klein and Sam Farmer contributed to this report.
