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Reggie Bush asking for his Heisman Trophy back, but he shouldn't hold out hope
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- Reggie Bush asking for his Heisman Trophy back, but he shouldn't hold out hope
Former Southern California running back Reggie Bush still hopes to have the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 returned to him more than a decade after he was forced to give it back due to NCAA rules violations.
Bush posted on Twitter a statement regarding efforts to lobby the Heisman Trophy trust and the NCAA about his case. In addition to getting the award back, he is hoping to have his records reinstated. Bush said neither group has been willing to help his case.
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"We left multiple messages for Michael Comerford, the President of the Heisman Trust, but instead received a call from Rob Whalen, the Executive Director, who stated that Mr. Comerford would not be calling us back," the statement said. "We reached out to the NCAA on multiple occasions and received no help or got no response at all. It is my strong belief that i won the Heisman trophy "solely" due to my hard work and dedication on the football field and it is also my firm belief that my records should be reinstated."
The likelihood of Bush succeeding with either party is remote even with some public support as the NCAA enters a new era with athletes profiting off their name, image and likeness.
However, none of the violations in Bush's case were related to NIL issues, so conflating the two issues is disingenuous.
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In addition, there's no history of an NCAA infractions case being overturned more than 10 years after it was decided. It would be even more remote without any new evidence coming to light.
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That won't happen considering the facts of the case are pretty clear. The NCAA investigation uncovered Bush and his family received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from sports marketers Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels. Bush later settled a civil suit initiated by Lake who sought reimbursement of approximately $300,000 when he said Bush failed to follow through on an agreement to work with him after his college career. He also settled a suit with Michaels.
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The school received a postseason ban of two years and was forced to forfeit 30 scholarships during a three-year period.
The Trojans were forced to vacate 14 wins during the 2004 and 2005 seasons in which Bush played, including the BCS championship it won in 2004. Also his statistics - which included 3,169 rushing yards and 1,309 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns from scrimmage - were removed from the record books.
USC was required to disassociate from Bush for 10 years. That ban ended last year.
The severe punishment may make some sympathetic to Bush and think he is the victim of an unfair process, but all of his problems were self-inflicted.
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The falling out with Lake and Michaels led to the arrangement becoming public and triggered the NCAA investigation. Bush and his family knowingly broke the rules when they took the money and gifts.
In addition, this was not a small case involving a few hundred or few thousand dollars that typically have led to programs getting a slap on the wrist. This was one of the largest cases of one individual receiving impermissible benefits in NCAA history.
The hope, it seems from Bush, is that the passage of time and the start of a new era of college sports will change the perspective of his situation enough to let him off the hook.
What won't change is the facts of the case put him in this position. And that should effectively end the conversation with the Heisman Trust and the NCAA.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reggie Bush pleading for return of his Heisman Trophy
