Brandon Johnson pleads not guilty to sports bribery charges

Brandon Johnson has pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in San Diego on Monday after flying in from his hometown of Houston.

Johnson, the biggest name in the San Diego sports bribery scandal and the all-time leading scorer for the Toreros, is accused of taking a bribe to influence the outcome of a February 2010 USD game. He's also charged with soliciting a member of this year's team to influence the outcome of a game as recently as March.


Johnson was arrested on April 9th in Houston. He's been given a local public defender as, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, he cannot afford his own attorney. Johnson is one of ten defendants in the case, which not only involves fixing games but also marijuana distribution.

For Torero fans, the biggest shame in all of this is that San Diego's biggest win -- their 2008 upset of No. 4 seed UConn in the first round of the tournament -- is now tainted due to Johnson's presence.