NCAA awaits Bush evidence

A would-be sports marketer who is suing Reggie Bush plans to give NCAA investigators documents and receipts that include a deposit slip showing he placed hundreds of dollars into Bush’s personal bank account during the 2005 football season, according to an attorney connected with the case.

Lloyd Lake has filed a civil lawsuit in a San Diego County court alleging that he and a former business partner gave more than $291,600 in cash and gifts to Bush and his family over a period that stretched from November 2004 to January 2006.

The case has been of special interest to NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference authorities, who launched a separate investigation but have struggled to procure interviews with the principals.

Lake was scheduled to speak with investigators on Friday, but the meeting was postponed until Tuesday, said Brian Watkins, one of his attorneys. Watkins said the bank slip would be among the documents presented but declined to give an exact amount for the deposit.

“We gathered all of our evidence before filing our lawsuit,” Watkins said. “We plan to cooperate fully.”

Bush has repeatedly denied that he and his family did anything wrong. His attorney, David Cornwell, declined to comment on the alleged evidence but vowed to “vigorously” fight the civil suit.

Cornwell said he had not received a copy of the complaint and reiterated previous claims that Lake, a convicted felon, is trying to extort money from Bush, now in his second season with the New Orleans Saints.

“The ex-con plaintiff has been in and out of prison over the past few years and probably has not earned $291,600 in his lifetime,” Cornwell said in a written statement. “We look forward to reviewing his tax returns and pay stubs.”

Questions have also arisen about whether Lake violated state law by acting as Bush’s agent.

Legal ramifications aside, if the NCAA finds that Bush received improper benefits while in college, he could be deemed retroactively ineligible and USC could be forced to forfeit games. The program could face further sanctions if it were proved that coaches and administrators knew or should have known about the alleged benefits.

Bush might also be asked to return the Heisman Trophy he won as college football’s top player in 2005 before he left school for the NFL with one season of eligibility remaining. In his three seasons at USC, the Trojans went 37-2, won one national championship and shared another.

The controversy revolves around a fledgling agency, New Era Sports & Entertainment, that Lake created with partner Michael Michaels. It was supposed to feature Bush as its star client but fell apart when the running back signed with an established agent.

The Times has previously reported allegations that Bush, his stepfather LaMar Griffin and mother Denise Griffin received $28,000 in cash and an additional $13,000 or so to purchase a 1996 Chevrolet Impala registered in Bush’s name. The Griffins lived in a house owned by Michaels but never paid the agreed-upon $4,500 in monthly rent, Watkins said.

A source close to the case has said that Lake tape-recorded a conversation in which he, Bush and Griffin discussed cash and gifts.

Watkins declined to comment on whether a tape would be part of the evidence, repeating: “We will cooperate fully.”

But another source familiar with the situation questioned why no such documents or evidence were presented during private negotiations between the parties, and wondered whether the information actually exists.

Representatives for Bush and Lake discussed a possible settlement on numerous occasions. On Wednesday, Watkins shed more light on a specific mediation session last June.

It occurred not long after Michaels had reached a settlement with Bush that Yahoo.com reported at between $200,000 and $300,000.

Although a confidentiality agreement prohibited Watkins from revealing anything discussed at the meeting, he said the talks broke down when Cornwell left the room and refused to return.

Bush’s marketing agent, Mike Ornstein, was present, Watkins said. Bush was allegedly waiting in a hotel across the street.

Watkins said that during at least two other negotiations, Cornwell insisted that it did not matter if Bush lost the Heisman.

“He told me, ‘Reggie’s rich, he’s in the NFL, that’s the goal,’ ” Watkins said.

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Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

david.wharton@latimes.com