Former New Orleans Saints
running back Reggie Bush
, who won the 2005 Heisman Trophy while playing for the USC Trojans, opened up about the claims that the NCAA made in 2021.
"NCAA a few years ago released a statement about me basically alleging that I was paid to play. The issue with that statement is that they never proved that and they never came with any facts to show that. So it's a lie," Bush said on the
Outta Pocket
podcast with RGIII.
"If you're going to die on that hill, well then we going to have to handle this in court because…my reputation is everything to me. That's true."
Advertisement
Bush played for the Trojans for three years and won two All-American honors, the 2004 and 2005 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year awards, along with the Heisman Trophy.
It was not until April 2006 that a report revealed that Bush's parents were living in a rent-free house. That house belonged to marketing agent Michael Michaels, who wanted to manage Bush in his pro career.
Reggie Bush's story keeps evolving, and there's a lot more to follow with the NCAA legal battles. Subscribe for more interesting stories.
According to the Orange County Register, agent Lloyd Lake, Michaels' former business partner, sued Bush and his parents for $291,600 for all the cash and additional things he claimed they received during Bush's last two years at USC.
Advertisement
The NCAA then started an investigation into the matter and announced sanctions in 2010 against USC. The program had 14 wins vacated, received a two-year bowl ban, and was told to disassociate from Bush permanently, among other penalties.
The running back forfeited his Heisman Trophy, which he later received back in 2024. The university released a statement in 2020 announcing that Bush was again a part of USC due to a 2017 rule change that resulted in a decrease of permanent disassociation to a 10-year period.
However, things went downhill after 2021, when name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies came into play. Bush rallied to get his Heisman Trophy back because the rules that he broke were no longer in place.
"Although college athletes can now receive benefits from their names, images, and likenesses through activities like endorsements and appearances, NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements," an NCAA spokesperson said in 2021.
Advertisement
Two years later, Bush filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging that the organization's investigation was flawed and defamed his reputation with that statement about getting paid for playing.
"I was never paid to play. That never happened, ever. I was a broke college kid," he said back then. "It's about truth, getting the facts out, and holding the NCAA accountable."
While Bush was engaged in these legal battles, he also joined the television industry as a premier studio analyst at Fox Sports in 2019. He appeared on the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. But when those 2021 comments were made, he alleges that the perception around him changed.
He was given a one-year deal that expired in 2023, and when the time for contract negotiations came, the two sides had a dispute, and Bush was removed from the show.
Advertisement
So, even after receiving the Heisman Trophy back, Bush and his team decided not to drop the defamation lawsuit. He then filed another lawsuit against USC, the Pac-12, and the NCAA for his retroactive NIL compensation.
The NCAA sought to get the suit dismissed entirely, arguing that the running back could no longer recover damages accrued almost a decade and a half earlier. However, the presiding judge in the case did not allow the defendants to exit the case.
"According to Plaintiff, he received no compensation from Defendants for their use of his name, image, or likeness because defendant NCAA's constitution and bylaws prohibited Plaintiff from benefiting financially while Defendants profited from his name, image, and likeness both during his time at USC and in following years," the case summary stated.
The claims made by the NCAA are still unproven to date, as the lawsuit is ongoing, while the final decision has yet to be made.
Advertisement
Trending Articles
The post "It's a Lie": Saints Legend Reggie Bush Accuses NCAA of Pushing Unproven Claim That Damaged His Broadcast Career
appeared first on EssentiallySports
. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
