USC indefinitely suspends Shaw after he admits story about saving nephew was a lie

The truth surrounding the ankle injuries suffered by USC cornerback Josh Shaw is starting to trickle out and at least one thing is now clear: he wasn't injured jumping out of a balcony to save his drowning nephew.

Shaw admitted to USC officials on Wednesday that the story about saving his nephew was a complete lie. He apologized for misleading everyone involved, but confirmed his original claims were 100 per cent unfounded. The Trojans have indefinitely suspended Shaw as a result.

"We are extremely disappointed in Josh," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a release. "He let us down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story.

"I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him."

USC did not reveal how Shaw actually suffered the two high ankle sprains, although the university did say that Shaw has retained Donald Etra as legal counsel. A "Josh Shaw" was named in a police report in connection to a possible break-in near campus the same night as Shaw's fake heroics, but that has not been confirmed as the same Shaw that plays for the Trojans.

Via his attorney, Shaw released a brief statement regarding the situation.

"On Saturday August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about the fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part," Shaw said. "My USC coaches, the USC Athletic Department, and especially coach Sarkisian have all been supportive of me during my college career and for that, I am very grateful."