LOS ANGELES — After nearly 14 years apart, Reggie Bush regains his Heisman Trophy, ending a nearly two-decade saga that has become a flashpoint for public opinion on how college athletes should benefit of their fame.
The Heisman Trust reinstated Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy on Wednesday, in a seismic moment for a player who was the face of a golden era for USC football. The career of Bush, who lost his Heisman in 2010 after the NCAA ruled he received impermissible benefits, has forced fans — and now the sport’s long-established institutions — to question whether the NCAA’s sanctions NCAA could really taint a player’s legacy on the field.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” said Michael Comerford, chairman of the Heisman Trophy Trust. “We took into account the tremendous changes that have occurred in college sports over the past several years to decide that the time was right to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are very happy to welcome him again.
The decision to reinstate Bush’s Heisman — and return his replica to USC — comes at a time when players can now be paid for their name, image and likeness, which was not the case when Bush became a star for the Trojans.
Bush won the award in 2005 after rushing for 2,890 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns while leading USC, which won at least a share of the national championship in 2003 and 2004, to the national championship game. Shortly thereafter, Bush and the Trojans became embroiled in a years-long scandal within the NCAA, which resulted in heavy sanctions against the Trojans’ football program, after the governing body determined that Bush and his family received impermissible benefits while he was in college. USC. The sanctions were reduced in 2010 and included a two-year playoff ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over a three-year period, which crippled the program’s depth for several seasons and took years to restore.
The NCAA also forced USC to permanently disassociate itself from Bush — meaning it had to essentially ignore or erase any acknowledgment of Bush. In September 2010, Bush relinquished the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player to return the prestigious award. Shortly thereafter, USC removed its No. 5 jersey from the peristyle end of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where all Heisman Trophy winners’ jersey numbers are displayed.
“They kind of dragged him through the mud,” said Sam Baker, a former USC All-American offensive lineman and first-round draft pick who was in the same recruiting class as Bush. “I was there. I saw him gain every yard. So it never worked out for a lot of us that played with us, obviously. He felt like he was vindicated (today) . It was very cool.
USC’s disassociation with Bush created at least one awkward moment. In 2019, Bush returned to the Coliseum with Fox Sports, where he works as an analyst, for USC’s nationally televised game against Utah. The school couldn’t stop him even though he remained dissociated, and his presence was important.
In the fourth quarter of that game, running back Markese Stepp scored a touchdown and ran toward Bush, hitting the former Trojans legend. Ironically, Stepp was penalized for excessive celebration.
5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ZrS4pu8UZb
– Jordan Moore (@MooreSports) April 24, 2024
The Heisman Trust said it followed a “deliberative process” in which it monitored the massive changes underway in the sport to determine whether to reinstate Bush’s trophy.
In 2021, in the face of legislative pressure, the NCAA first introduced a policy allowing student-athletes to receive payments toward their NIL. Opinions and attitudes have changed, and so has the landscape of college football. Student-athletes are now allowed to have relationships with agents, which sparked Bush’s troubles.
“Recognizing that paying student-athletes is an accepted practice and appears likely to remain, these fundamental changes in college sports have led the Trust to decide that the time has come to return the Trophy to Bush,” the Trust said in its communicated. .
Over time since 2010, Bush has gained a groundswell of support from several quarters. USC ended its NCAA-mandated disassociation with Bush in June 2020, billboards demanding that the NCAA return the Heisman Trophy to Bush appeared across Los Angeles, and supporters of his cause became than noisier.
Former Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel took several opportunities to defend Bush, and in March he tweeted that he would “humbly step aside from the Heisman Trophy until Reggie Bush recovers his trophy.
Thanks to @HeismanTrophy for doing what is right and welcoming back an important member of our history. Many voices have been raised throughout this process to defend Reggie simply because of the kind of human being he is. I can’t wait to be on…
–Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) April 24, 2024
“Amazing,” said Alex Holmes, a former USC tight end who won two national championships with Bush. “My reaction is this: justice has been done. Absolutely incredible. Well-deserved.
In August, Bush went on the offensive against the NCAA and announced plans to sue the organization for defamation over a statement made by a spokesperson in 2021 describing Bush as being involved in a “pay-to-play” deal. .
Although Bush sued the NCAA and several others directed their frustrations at the institution in his effort to get his Heisman Trophy back, the decision was always in the hands of the Heisman Trust.
Bush’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023 was a positive step for his cause. Before the inductions in Las Vegas, USC athletic director Jen Cohen threw a surprise party for Bush and welcomed his former teammates, family and friends, a strong indication of the university’s support for Bush and efforts to restore his Heisman Trophy.
“This is a momentous day for Reggie Bush and the entire USC community as we celebrate the rightful return of his Heisman Trophy,” Cohen said in a statement Wednesday. “Reggie’s impact at USC and on college football as a whole is truly unparalleled. He has shown the greatest resilience and heart throughout this process and deserves every honor and trophy he has ever received. We are grateful to the Heisman Trophy Trust for making this possible.
Finally! Reggie’s Heisman, so excited, was returned to him. His impact on USC and college football is legendary. This is a HUGE day for Reggie and the entire Trojan family. FIGHT! https://t.co/P1XNozFiFW
– Jennifer Cohen (@ADJenniferCohen) April 24, 2024
Bush is one of USC’s eight Heisman Trophy winners, putting the Trojans ahead of Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma, who each have seven.
The USC athletic department had been willing to restore Bush’s jersey to the peristyle end of the Coliseum for several years, but Bush did not want his jersey back until he collected his Heisman.
That time will surely come soon.
“It’s been tough,” said Shaun Cody, former USC All-American defensive lineman. “As a former player and teammate of Reggie, you hate to see someone who worked as hard as he did and put in the effort he did – have that title unfairly taken away from him. I think that’s what today represents: a wrong has been done and now it’s back in his hands. It was hard to see everything Reggie had to go through. I think that was the hardest part. He must have taken a lot of bullets for a lot of people. I’m happy he gets this (trophy). …
“He was part of a really cool era of football at USC and I think that number kind of represents that for a lot of former players, for all of us, a little bit of what we were able to accomplish and what that Reggie did during this period. »
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(Photo: Michael Cohen/WireImage)