LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California cornerback Josh Shaw confessed that he lied to school officials about how he sprained his ankles last weekend, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew. 
 
 FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2013, file photo, Southern California quarterback Cody Kessler, left, and Josh Shaw watch a news conference for USC's new football coach Steve Sarkisian in Los Angeles. Shaw has... (Associated Press) 
 
 This undated photo provided by the University of Southern California sports information office shows defensive back Josh Shaw. The university is investigating his story that he injured both of his ankles... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2013, file photo, Southern California safety Josh Shaw recovers a Utah fumble in an NCAA college football game in Los Angeles. Shaw confessed that he lied to school officials about... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Dec. 3, 2014 photo, University of Southern California cornerbackback Josh Shaw answers questions at a press conference of USC's new football coach Steve Sarkisian. Shaw confessed that he lied... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2013 file photo, Southern California cornerback Josh Shaw (26) runs back an interception for a touchdown against Hawaii during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game... (Associated Press) 
 
 The school swiftly suspended him Wednesday from all team activities and acknowledged his heroic tale was "a complete fabrication." 
 
 The tale began to unravel soon after the team captain was lauded for his heroics in a story on the team's website Monday. In the account, Shaw described how he instinctively jumped from a balcony, with no one around, to rescue his 7-year-old nephew in a pool in his hometown of Palmdale, California. The school said a day later callers questioned the story, and began vetting it. 
 
 But the biggest question remains unanswered: What was he doing, and how did he injure his ankles? 
 
 "We are extremely disappointed in Josh," USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. "He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story." 
 
 The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that a man named Joshua Shaw was mentioned — but not as a suspect — in a report involving a break-in at a downtown apartment building Saturday night. The department has not made the report public. 
 
 Shaw is a fifth-year senior, a captain and a key starter in USC's defensive secondary. He is widely considered a solid teammate and an important leader for the 15th-ranked Trojans, who begin their first season under Sarkisian at the Coliseum on Saturday against Fresno State. 
 
 Shaw issued a short statement through criminal defense attorney Donald Etra on Wednesday after being suspended. 
 
 "On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall," Shaw said. "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. 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." 
 
 Etra didn't respond to a request for further details about the cause of Shaw's injuries. 
 
 Shaw didn't attend practice Wednesday, missing his second straight day of workouts. Although he is barred from team activities, his injuries also would keep him out of workouts for at least a few weeks. 
 
 Shortly after Shaw's yarn was made public, the football program received phone calls contradicting Shaw's version of his injuries. Sarkisian has not said who made the calls, but the school acknowledged the discrepancies Tuesday morning and began investigating Shaw, who initially stuck to his story. 
 
 "I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized," Sarkisian said. "Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him." 
 
 It's unclear whether Shaw could face additional discipline from USC for lying to school officials. A USC spokesperson didn't immediately return a request for clarification about the school's student conduct policies. 
 
 Shaw and the school still haven't acknowledged any connection to the LAPD report from officers who responded to a woman screaming in a downtown apartment complex Saturday. USC is on the south end of downtown. 
 
 Officers interviewed several people at the building, and a woman told the police that someone had pried open a window, entered the third-floor apartment and fled, but nothing was taken. The woman also acknowledged "a relationship" with Shaw, according to LAPD Lt. Andy Nieman. 
 
 Sarkisian insisted the situation won't be a distraction for the Trojans, but still allowed only two of Shaw's defensive teammates to speak with the media after practice Wednesday morning. 
 
 Linebacker Hayes Pullard and defensive lineman Leonard Williams both acknowledged surprise at the situation that developed after Shaw's account was challenged, but remained supportive of their fifth-year senior captain. 
 
 "We were pretty shocked," said Williams, who hasn't spoken to Shaw. "Josh Shaw is a pretty loyal guy. I would never expect him to make up a story. I would never expect that out of him as a team leader." 
 
 Shaw's leadership and character were widely praised throughout his first two seasons of play at the school. He transferred back to his native Los Angeles area from Florida, in part to help out his ailing grandfather with the family landscaping business. 
 
 "Josh has been a great guy," Pullard said. "He has great character. I've never known him to lie about anything ... so it's surprising. This is exactly when our leadership roles come in. We talk to guys and let them know what's expected, and we'll keep us focused on our team." ||||| Josh Shaw, a hero for a matter of hours, is now known for a lie. 
 
 With the Trojans' opener against Fresno State just days away, the USC senior football team captain Wednesday told school officials he fabricated a story about rescuing a nephew in a pool and lied about how he suffered ankle injuries, the school announced. 
 
 Shaw, a starting cornerback, was suspended from the team indefinitely. 
 
 "We are extremely disappointed in Josh," USC Coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement. "He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story." 
 
 Athletic Director Pat Haden said he was disappointed and surprised because he had found Shaw to be "a very credible kid." Haden was in the hospital because of a heart issue when he first heard of Shaw's alleged rescue and injuries. He said USC officials vetted Shaw's story 12 times with a number of different people. 
 
 We are extremely disappointed in Josh. He let us all down. — USC Coach Steve Sarkisian 
 
 "Right now, what we know is we have a kid that fabricated a story, period," Haden said. 
 
 And USC publicized it. 
 
 The school did not include an explanation of what it now believes actually happened. In a statement released through his attorney, Donald Etra, Shaw acknowledged lying but did not provide any details. 
 
 "On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall," the statement said. "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." 
 
 Etra would not discuss how Shaw was injured other than to say the player fell off a balcony at the Orsini Apartments in Los Angeles last Saturday night. 
 
 Eric Risberg / Associated Press USC cornerback Josh Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities. USC cornerback Josh Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) 
 
 The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday that Shaw's name was in a report from an incident that occurred at the Orsini complex on North Figueroa Street Saturday about 10 p.m. 
 
 Officers arrived on the scene to check on a report of a woman's screams from a third-floor unit, police said. No one answered the door, so the officers forced entry. No one was inside. 
 
 A neighbor reported seeing a man run across or scale a balcony, and gave a general description of the individual. Later, as officers interviewed a female resident of the complex, they told her what the one witness had seen. She responded, "Sounds like my boyfriend, Josh Shaw," said Lt. Andrew Neiman, an LAPD spokesman. The woman also told the officers Shaw was at dinner with friends, Neiman said. 
 
 Shaw resides at the Orsini with Kevon Seymour, a junior cornerback on USC's team. 
 
 The police say Shaw is not a suspect in any crime. However, an LAPD official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to comment on the situation, said authorities were attempting to work through USC to speak with Shaw and his girlfriend. 
 
 USC said Shaw had apologized for misleading his coaches, teammates, athletic department officials and the public. 
 
 "I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized," Sarkisian said. "Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable." 
 
 Shaw's story blew up over social media Monday after USC posted on its website an account of Shaw's heroics in saving his nephew, a tale that included his leaping from a second-story balcony at an apartment during a family function in Palmdale. Shaw suffered high-ankle sprains, the story said. 
 
 Media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, immediately responded with reports of Shaw's courageous act. 
 
 But the story turned Tuesday when Sarkisian announced USC was investigating after receiving phone calls that contradicted Shaw's account. 
 
 Shaw requested a meeting with USC officials Wednesday afternoon, a school spokesman said. With Etra, a criminal defense attorney whose previous clients include Rhianna and Snoop Dogg, and family members present, Shaw revealed he had lied, the spokesman said. 
 
 A few hours later, the school made its announcement. In its release, USC said it regretted posting the original story. 
 
 USC began insulating players Wednesday morning, when defensive players are typically made available to the media during a game week. Only junior defensive end Leonard Williams and senior linebacker Hayes Pullard, both team captains, were allowed to speak with reporters. 
 
 "We were pretty shocked because Josh Shaw is a pretty loyal guy since he's been here," Williams said. "I would never expect him to make up a story or something like that. So if it's real or not ... I would never expect him as a captain to be in that situation." 
 
 USC's announcement later in the day made the situation no more believable in the eyes of a couple of Shaw's teammates, who spoke anonymously because USC had asked them not to speak about the topic with the media. 
 
 "It's a surprise to all of us," said one. "It's wrong timing for the program, but we have to focus on Saturday. I'm praying for Josh and praying he's OK at the end of all this." 
 
 Said another: "Josh Shaw has been a top-notch dude since the day I got here. He's not a guy I'd pick off a roster to lie like this." 
 
 Asked whether Shaw would return to the Trojans this season, Haden said, "It's way too early to think that. We'll kind of see and follow the story to its ultimate conclusion." 
 
 Times staff writers Gale Holland, Richard Winton and Joe Serna contributed to this report.
– Luckless USC cornerback Josh Shaw not only has two sprained ankles, his pants are on fire: The Trojans captain has been suspended indefinitely after admitting that he made up a story about suffering ankle injuries while rescuing his 7-year-old nephew from a pool on Saturday, reports the Los Angeles Times. "We are extremely disappointed in Josh," USC coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement that didn't address the cause of Shaw's injuries. "Nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story." Shaw claimed he leaped from a balcony and landed on concrete after seeing his nephew in distress, and told reporters, "I would do it again for whatever kid it was, it did not have to be my nephew." He issued a brief statement through his lawyer apologizing for fabricating the story. So how did he really hurt his ankles? A man named Joshua Shaw was mentioned in an LAPD report of a break-in Saturday night, though not as a suspect, the AP notes. Officers who responded to a report of screaming in a third-floor apartment say a woman who said she was in "a relationship" with Shaw told them someone had pried open her window and entered her apartment before fleeing.