Johnson Inquiry Focuses on Loan Amount : College football: USC receiver says he borrowed $200; others say payment was $1,200.

An inquiry into whether USC football star Keyshawn Johnson accepted $1,200 from a sports agent while playing in junior college has left officials trying to determine how much money is involved, sources familiar with the case said Saturday.

Despite strong denials from Johnson, taped telephone conversations between a San Diego baseball agent and a former agent recruiter indicate Johnson was paid $1,200, as reported last week by the Houston Chronicle.

Johnson, who met David Price, associate commissioner of the Pacific 10 Conference, on Thursday and Friday, insisted he borrowed only $200 from Tim Shannon of Laguna Hills, a former USC defensive back who befriended Johnson in 1979.

However, a transcript of the tapes, supplied to The Times, shows numerous references to a larger payment by Elliott Vallin, Shannon’s former business partner.

According to NCAA rules, athletes who are found to have accepted cash or other gifts from sports agents can lose their eligibility. Officials said the Johnson case does not involve USC, although that could change because of Shannon’s link to the university.

Noel Ragsdale, USC’s faculty representative, would not comment on the Pac-10’s investigation.

Losing Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior receiver, could hurt the Trojans’ campaign to reach the Rose Bowl and be the nation’s No. 1-ranked team. As a junior transfer from West L.A. College last season, Johnson caught 66 passes for 1,363 yards and nine touchdowns, including three in the Cotton Bowl.

The principals in the investigation have given officials this account: Shannon lent Johnson $200 in the spring of 1993 to pay rent. Because Shannon was out of town, Vallin delivered the check.

But according to Jessie Martinez, the agent recruiter who delivered the tapes to NCAA officials, Johnson also told investigators that Vallin called him in January demanding to be repaid $1,000.

Johnson said he didn’t know what Vallin was talking about and asked the San Diego agent to leave him alone, Martinez said.

Johnson told the Daily News of Los Angeles that he told officials: “I took $200 from a friend of mine. I don’t know where this figure of $1,200 came from.”

It allegedly came from Vallin, who repeatedly made the claim in taped telephone conversations with Martinez, 28, of San Luis Obispo.

Offering a window into the seedy world of agent recruiting, the 15 pages of transcripts quote Vallin as saying he was going to get his $1,200 back from Johnson.

Vallin told the Houston Chronicle last week that he made false statements about Johnson in the five telephone conversations from February to June to set up Martinez, a recruiter who has worked for several sports agents.

Martinez, a former college runner and junior college football player, has provided NCAA investigators with information that led to penalties for violations, most notably illegal agent payments involving former Ohio State wide receiver Joey Galloway, former Arizona point guard Damon Stoudamire and Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips.

Martinez said he began taping conversations with Vallin in February because he and the San Diego agent had a dispute over an IRS fine.

“Then he started talking about Keyshawn and Tim,” Martinez said.

Martinez said Vallin had no reason to frame him because their first conversation (Feb. 16) was before the Stoudamire incident that involved Newport Beach agent Steve Feldman. Vallin used to work for Feldman.

“Why would he set me up?” Martinez asked. “He’s just lying. He has nothing to gain by it.”

According to the transcript, Vallin told Martinez he heard someone was giving Johnson about $50,000.

“Yeah, you only gave him $1,000,” Martinez said.

“Only $1,200,” Vallin corrected.

In other conversations, Vallin disparaged Johnson with racially insensitive remarks.

At one point, Martinez offered to help by talking to Johnson.

Vallin: “I’d love for you to get in touch with Keyshawn.”

Martinez: “But what I’m saying is, has he taken too much money already?”

Vallin: “I think so, because the little . . . [is] on the take.”

In another conversation, Vallin told Martinez: “I know Keyshawn. Keyshawn’s a person with his . . . hand out.”

Vallin told Martinez he planned to retrieve the $1,200 when Johnson joined the NFL.

“I’m just going to ask him [for the money],” he said. “I’ll say, ‘Listen, you got a big [signing] bonus. You’re going to play in the NFL. You can pay me back the money I lent you.”’