LSU can’t seem to escape the shadow of the Honey Badger.
The cover story for this week’s Sports Illustrated claims former LSU cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne and sophomore defensive tackle Anthony Johnson violated NCAA rules by knowingly allowing their images and likenesses to be used in promotional videos and fliers for The Palace, a club located off Scenic Highway near Southern University.
Mathieu was dismissed from the team in August and Claiborne is now in the NFL, but the allegations go back to the spring semester.
NCAA rules state that student-athletes are not allowed to use their names or images for advertising or outside promotion.
LSU Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Senior Associate Athletics Director Herb Vincent said an athlete found to be knowingly promoting a commercial venture would be automatically ineligible, but he added there are currently no eligibility issues resulting from the report.
“The one current player in there was Anthony Johnson, and we talked to him and are confident that he was not aware his image was being used,” Vincent said.
Vincent said Johnson took immediate steps to get the images taken down, including calling the club and asking them to stop using the posters.
LSU can send a retroactive cease-and-desist letter if the compliance office finds no evidence the players had knowledge of the situation, Vincent said.
“The compliance office is doing their due diligence to check the facts as they were presented in the story,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ve sent [a letter] yet, but we would likely compose one once our investigation is complete.”
Only Johnson’s eligibility would be an issue, though Mathieu would likely not be able to play for an NCAA school again, if the violation reports are accurate.
“I don’t even know that I was up to speed on it for [the] March event,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “I am told that our guys did the right things and did not participate in the planning stage or a promotional piece.”
The Athletic Department isn’t the only one with a different view from the original story.
The Palace’s promoter, Xavier Williams, said in an interview with WBRZ that Sports Illustrated writers offered him money to fabricate or enhance details for the piece.
“The guy with SI tried to bribe me and offer me $2,500 just to say things that didn’t really take place,” Williams said.
Williams did not answer or return The Daily Reveille’s phone calls.
Other than promotional materials, the article also claimed the players got into the venue for free, received free drinks and enjoyed access to a VIP area in The Palace.
“There is no special privilege, no VIP areas at the restaurant,” owner Torrey Lewis told WBRZ. “[Mathieu] didn’t have any type of deal with us. The players didn’t know about the fliers. We were not aware that any of it violated NCAA rules.”
Though Mathieu is no longer an LSU student-athlete, Vincent said the ongoing internal investigation would likely include his perspective.
“The urgency to talk to him is not the same as it was for Anthony, since Tyrann is not on the team anymore,” Vincent said. “The compliance office will be thorough, so I’m sure they will speak to him at some point.”
