He appeared at the ABCD Camp before his ninth-grade year. His transfer to a Cincinnati high school was a huge story in the local media. It created a ridiculous stir on the Internet when he played one tournament for a Nike-sponsored team after years of playing with another sponsored by Reebok. He was a junior in high school then.

I've interviewed Mayo several times since he was a high school freshman-to-be. He always has been exceedingly courteous, thoughtful and insightful. No one is going to get to the soul of a person by interviewing him for 10 minutes, but I've gotten the sense Mayo is trying hard to be a decent person against a mountain of obstacles. Given how early the assault began, expecting Mayo to recognize he was being used is unrealistic.

This is about viewing young athletes as commodities

Because the best basketball players generally are identifiable by the time they are in their mid-teens, it's easier for agents and their representatives to gain influence.

The best offensive tackle might not be obvious until he's a junior in college. To sign him, an agent almost invariably will have to preserve some relationship with the college where he plays, so abusing the system is counterproductive. With basketball, the agents often get there first.

Certainly there are some colleges just as likely to exploit teenaged ballers. But most offer something of lasting value in return: an education if it's wanted, exposure that helps build the player's brand, or, at the very least, high-level basketball training that can lead to greater competitive success (and the wealth that results). An agent might hand over some money or the keys to a new ride. The truth, though, is eventually that agent will find a way to be repaid.

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