UPDATE 08/30/2014: We didn’t think this one was over.
When we first learned of Josh Shaw and Josh Shaw’s girlfriend, there were whispers that there may be more to the story. And now the LAPD has confirmed that there may be more to the story, as according to TMZ, the suspended USC star is currently being investigated for a potential domestic disturbance. The story suggests that Shaw may have been fleeing the scene and shimmying down his girlfriend’s building, to ultimately lead to the dual ankle injuries.
This one surely ain’t over folks. Keep it here as we follow.
UPDATE 08/27/2014: From hero to zero in less than a day? Welcome to the information age, Josh Shaw.
As was widely reported Tuesday, USC safety Josh Shaw injured both ankles rescuing his nephew from drowning in a pool, a story that was later repeated by his sister. Late Wednesday evening, it was revealed that the heroic story Shaw spoon fed the press, was a intact untrue.
Shaw admitted the fabrication to USC officials and after multiple statements from the school and the team, Shaw has been suspended from all team activities indefinitely. But what does all this have to do with Josh Shaw’s girlfriend?
As we explored yesterday, there were rumors that this all circled back to a domestic altercation with his girlfriend, and that the injuries occurred fleeing the scene. When these rumblings began gaining traction in the wake of the drowning-rescue story, Josh Shaw’s lawyer made sure to shoot that down:
There is absolutely NO domestic violence. The real story has nothing to do with domestic violence.”
Shaw released his own statement through his attorney stating:
I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part.
While we don’t know what went down to cause the injuries, or if Josh Shaw’s girlfriend played a part, we do know this story will continue getting more interesting as time goes on. We’ll keep watching this unfold.
USC head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged Tuesday that the team was looking into Josh Shaw’s heroic story surrounding his double ankle injuries. Despite the initial story that we’ll delve further into below, reports now place Josh Shaw’s girlfriend in the middle of the search for the truth.
The stories came out Monday night that Shaw suffered bilateral high ankle sprains when he jumped from the balcony of his cousin’s second floor Palmdale apartment to save his nephew from drowning. Shaw told the USC website that his nephew was said to be unable to swim, and “in distress without nearby help.” The story continues that Shaw was able to crawl to the pool ladder despite the pain in both legs, to help pull his nephew from the water.
Less than a day after the story broke, holes began to form in Shaw’s story. On Tuesday, Sarkasian confirmed that the school was vetting the story, but offered mild support for his player by saying he had no reason to believe anything to the contrary of Shaw’s report.
“He came to us with what had occurred Saturday night. I have no reason, no history, to not believe Josh and his story with what has occurred.”
Like with any rumor, conflicting information is at hand with this one. Some reports have circulated that Shaw was fleeing the scene of a domestic altercation with his girlfriend. To date, there’s been no information offered to support this rumor and it doesn’t currently appear to have any validity.
TMZ has obtained information that a burglary report from the night in question mentions Shaw by name, as well as Josh Shaw’s girlfriend. Shaw, who is not considered a suspect, called the LAPD to report a man shimmying down the side of a building near the USC campus. Shaw’s girlfriend lives in the building, and when police provided the description of the person, she allegedly said, “Yes, that sounds like my boyfriend Josh Shaw.”
A burglary report was taken, though nothing was stolen. Police spoke with Shaw, but he denied ever being at the building in question.
In the Twitter-age, the truth will come to light soon enough. We’ll see how things turn out – and for now – we hope his Josh Shaw’s nephew is recovering well.
