Former NFL stars say Josh Shaw can overcome damage from puzzling lie

The lie that earned USC cornerback Josh Shaw an indefinite suspension could cost him a lot when it comes to his NFL future.

Shaw, who fabricated a story about sustaining ankle injuries while heroically rescuing his nephew from a pool, will probably see his status as a draft prospect take a plunge. Before the incident in question, NFLDraftScout.com had projected the Trojans senior to go in the first or second round of the 2015 draft.

On a CBS conference call Thursday featuring the network’s NFL analysts, former quarterbacks Dan Fouts and Boomer Esiason weighed in on how Shaw’s transgression could affect him and his future as a pro.

“One of the biggest components to playing football is the word trust,� Fouts said. “He’s violated that trust of his teammates and the coaching staff. To win it back is going to be difficult. He needs to play well to do that. But this will haunt him, no question.�

Esiason said he hopes Shaw learns the type of lesson former Notre Dame (and current San Diego Chargers) linebacker Manti Te’o did when he carried out the hoax of the death of his fake girlfriend.

“In reality, he’s a kid and he made a mistake,� Esiason said of Shaw. “I don’t know what he’s trying to keep from everybody, or what he tried to keep from [Trojans Coach] Steve Sarkisian. The only thing I can tell you is a lot of us came out of college and had marks against us for whatever reason, and a lot of us went on to really good careers. So while we all like to get on our high horse, we also know that we can make mistakes and bounce back from those mistakes.

“So with all that being said, he’ll come back, he’ll play, and if he plays well he’ll be a high draft pick, and hopefully he’ll get his career started and we can move on to bigger and better stories.�