Lawyer: USC's Shaw fell from 3rd-floor balcony, 'nothing criminal about this'
Hours after USC cornerback Josh Shaw admitted to concocting an elaborate lie involving a drowning nephew, his lawyer said his client suffered ankle injuries when he fell from a third-floor balcony in a non-criminal incident Saturday.
Shaw, who was diagnosed with two high ankle sprains, told school officials Wednesday that he fabricated a story about saving his nephew from drowning.
He has been suspended indefinitely by USC.
The Trojans cornerback did not provide details as to how he injured himself, but his lawyer, Donald Etra, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that Shaw fell out of a third-floor balcony at an apartment building in Los Angeles.
"So far, there’s nothing criminal about this whatsoever," said Etra, whose previous clients include Rhianna, Snoop Dogg and Fran Drescher. "We are not discussing details. Suffice it to say, he fell, didn’t tell the truth and made a mistake. Now he wants to move on with his life."
The Times also reports authorities are investigating a burglary at the property where Shaw allegedly fell, and are seeking to speak with him.
The police responded late Saturday night to a call of a woman screaming. No one answered the door at the apartment, so the officers forced their way in but found the unit empty. A neighbor told the police that a man had run across a balcony. When a woman living in the apartment complex was given a description of the man, she told them it sounded like her boyfriend, Shaw.
Etra said Shaw's return to football remains unclear, but that the USC medical staff does not believe his ankle injuries are serious.
"They haven’t given him a specific date when he can get back to playing football," Etra said. "He hopes to be back to playing ball soon."
Another report suggests Shaw was pressured by a USC teammate to come clean.
According to TMZ Sports, a "respected" member of the Trojans' defense knew Shaw made up the story and confronted him Monday morning in an "intense" altercation.