LOS ANGELES — Reggie Bush entered the 1923 Club on the seventh floor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with his Heisman Trophy in his right hand. The journey to get the most coveted individual accolade in college football back to the former USC star had been more than a decade in the making — until the Heisman Trust finally reinstated Bush’s award on Wednesday.
Returning to a familiar spot where he starred in the mid-2000s, Bush expressed gratitude and relief that college football’s highest individual honor, awarded to him after 2,200 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2005, was once again being officially recognized by the Heisman Trust.
It was not all smiles, however. Bush also took aim at the NCAA and its now much-maligned infractions case involving him — the very scandal that resulted in his Heisman forfeiture in the first place.
“Getting the trophy taken away from me, that was icing on the cake, but being labeled a cheater was far worse,” Bush said Thursday. “I have never cheated. There is no proof that I’ve cheated. … I know there have been millions of doubters out there, and hopefully now those people can see that what we have been saying all along is true. What we have been fighting for all along is true.”
The NCAA’s high-profile investigation determined that Bush and his family members received impermissible benefits, resulting in severe penalties. USC vacated the final two wins of its 2004 national title season and all of its wins from 2005. The 2004 Trojans were stripped of their national championship by the FWAA and BCS; the Associated Press still recognizes USC as champions. Scholarship reductions and a postseason ban hampered the program for years after.
The arrival of name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation has reopened the conversation about Bush’s punishment. College players are now allowed to sign with marketing agents. This situation plays out differently if it happens today.
Still, Bush’s next goal in his uphill fight against the NCAA is getting the awards and accolades reinstated.
“[The] lawsuit we have against the NCAA will include a lot of things, getting our records reinstated,” Bush told reporters. “[That’s] the next step, and honestly, they should have done that a long time ago. That should be the first thing that they do, is reinstate all of our records. I have my doubts that they will do the right thing. That’s why you see…
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