Josh Shaw suspension: USC football coach speaks out

EXPOSITION PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- USC football coach Steve Sarkisian on Thursday spoke out publicly for the first time since he suspended cornerback Josh Shaw for lying about how he injured his ankles.

Sarkisian said he is disappointed with what happened and that he and his team are partially to blame for prematurely releasing the story about Shaw allegedly jumping from a balcony to rescue his nephew in a swimming pool.

"We made a decision. Again, the type of character that Josh has showed us previously, I felt no reason not to support him. It's unfortunate. It's an unfortunate situation," said Sarkisian. "We regret the fact that we released that article. But moving forward, we'll be a little bit more patient. I felt like the last thing we needed was Josh Shaw rolling around in a wheelchair and everybody saying, 'What happened?'"

Shaw admitted Wednesday that he was lying when he told university officials he leaped from a second-story balcony to rescue his 7-year-old nephew, who was struggling in the pool during a family get-together in Palmdale. The actual cause of the ankle injuries has not been released, but Shaw said he injured himself during a fall. Based on information from the Los Angeles Police Department, it appears the incident happened at an off-campus apartment complex where Shaw's girlfriend lives.

"I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong not to tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part," Shaw said in a statement through his lawyer. "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."

Shaw, a senior cornerback who was recently named a team captain, was suspended indefinitely from all team activities. Sarkisian said Shaw could potentially return to the team, but the suspension will allow the university and law enforcement to investigate what exactly happened at the apartment complex Saturday night.

According to the LAPD, officers responded to a call about a woman screaming at an apartment on the 500 block of North Figueroa around 10:40 p.m. Officers say they tried making contact with the residents inside the apartment, but no one answered. Fearing that someone was inside, they entered the home and noticed that a back window had been pried open.

Witnesses told police they saw "a black male with dreadlocks" leaving the apartment balcony. Officers later tracked down a woman who lived at the home, and she told them that her boyfriend was Josh Shaw, according to police.

"Mr. Shaw is listed in the report as the victim's boyfriend who happened to have a similar description of the suspect leaving the apartment. No suspects have been arrested. The investigation is still ongoing," the LAPD said.