Joe Burrow didn't hold back when discussing how the NCAA and the Heisman Trust treated Reggie Bush .
The Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback joined fellow Heisman Trophy winners Jameis Winston and Eddie George for a panel at Fanatics Fest, held at New York City's Javits Center. A question had the group name a Heisman winner they admired, and Burrow seized the moment to passionately defend Bush.
"Obviously, everybody knows who Reggie is, but they took his dang Heisman away, and all these hypocritical coaches were doing the same thing to everybody else," Burrow said. "But because Reggie was on top of the world, they were like, 'We're going to take this thing away from him.'"
Dec 14, 2019; New York, NY, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow kisses the trophy during a post ceremony press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports
Bush won the Heisman Trophy in 2005 after a dominant season at USC, but he forfeited the award in 2010 following an NCAA investigation that found he and his family had received illegal benefits.
The Heisman Trust reinstated Bush as the 2005 winner in 2024, citing sweeping changes to college athletics that made it acceptable for players to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Burrow was glad to see the trophy returned, but he made it clear that he believes it should never have been taken away.
"I think what they took from him was something that should never be taken from you for things that everybody was doing anyway," Burrow said. "Now the money is all legalized, so they finally came to their senses and gave it back to him."
Burrow then offered his bluntest assessment of the controversy.
"But I just thought it was bulls***, what they did in the first place, and it always pissed me off," he said.
Bush's treatment struck a nerve with Burrow. The former USC star was Burrow's favorite player growing up and inspired the Bengals' quarterback to become a New Orleans Saints fan after the organiztion selected Bush No. 2 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
"Reggie was my favorite player when he was playing," Burrow said. "That's why I became a Saints fan - because Reggie Bush got drafted to the Saints, and I just loved watching him."
Burrow then joined Bush in the Heisman fraternity in 2019, winning the award after one of the greatest quarterback seasons in college football history. That could be part of the reason he spoke so forcefully about Bush being stripped of an honor that he knows is so difficult to capture.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/onsi as Joe Burrow Doesn't Hold Back While Defending Reggie Bush's Heisman Legacy .
