Reggie Bush wants his Heisman back
doubledragon
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With the NCAA loosening it's NIL policy, Reggie Bush took to Twitter, he wants his Heisman trophy back.
Reggie Bush wants his Heisman Trophy back now that NCAA has loosened NIL rules
Reggie Bush forfeited his Heisman Trophy in 2010.
Now he wants it back.
After an NCAA investigation determined Bush had received improper benefits while playing at USC, the star running back returned the prestigious trophy he had been awarded five years earlier.
Also at the time, the NCAA stripped USC of its 2004 national title and the school had to vacate 14 wins from 2004 and 2005, with all mentions of Bush’s stats from those years either erased or accompanied by asterisks.
But times have changed. The NCAA approved a policy change Wednesday that allows college athletes the right to profit off their names, images and likenesses.
“Well well well….look what we have here,” Bush tweeted soon after the announcement.
The next morning, Bush tweeted a longer statement “in regard to the reinstatement of my college records and my Heisman.”
“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,” Bush wrote.
Bush said in 2010 that he decided to give up his Heisman Trophy because of “persistent media speculation” that was “both painful and distracting.”
He said in a tweet Thursday: “I never cheated this game. That was what they wanted you to believe about me.”
How California started the NIL revolution and helped NCAA athletes get paid today
In his statement Thursday, Bush said he reached out to the Heisman Trust about the possible return of his trophy and was told that “they could not help us.” He said he also attempted to speak with the NCAA about his situation “and received no help or got no response at all.”
The NCAA and Heisman Trust have not responded to inquiries about Bush’s comments.
Former Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart, who was the Trojans starting quarterback from 2003-2005, Mark Ingram and Johnny Manziel were among those who tweeted their support for Bush to get his trophy back.
With the changes in the NIL rules looming last year, Bush told the Athletic he was glad future college athletes wouldn’t have to face situations similar to his.
“I’m good with what happened to me because it had to happen to me so we could get to this point,” Bush said. “Kids will no longer be told they can’t make money off their names while their school makes millions off of them. Thousands of kids now will be able to make money off their name and likeness, be able to support their families that need help, and have a little extra to be able to even put good healthy food on the table and pay bills.”
Comments
Reggie Bush's statement.
While his is one of the very high-profile cases, there are many others. While I think he should get his Heisman back, if that occurs I hope the same standards are applied across the board.
If I was Bush, I would have never given the trophy back to begin with. They would have to pry it out of my hands with a crowbar, IF they could find where I hid it!
Yea I would have given the NCAA a mouthful of very offensive words and kept the trophy if I was Bush.
I already got one. It’s very nice.
“Monte Python quote.”
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Once he gets it back he can hand it to Vince Young.
Texas set an NCAA record for most points ever scored in a season.
They set a record in conference championship games with a 70-3 destruction of Colorado.
They went into Reggie Bush’s backyard and Vince Young led two late drives to win the national championship.
Texas ended the season undefeated. USC’s only loss, in their home stadium, was to Vince Young.
Vince Young and that Texas offense was a machine. He was unstoppable.
I would love anyone to give me one reason why Bush deserved it more than Young. One reason that tops what I’ve already laid out.
Well, to start with, half your argument in favor of Young is based on a game played after the Heisman was awarded...
Half is incorrect. Texas set an NCAA record for most points scored during the regular season where Vince played every game at the most important position on the field.
Then in the Big 12 championship game he led his team to a 70-3 drubbing of Colorado.
If those 13 games weren’t enough to convince voters, then he took it one step further in Reggie’s own back yard.
So my initial evidence included 12 regular season game and 1 conference championship game. That equals 13. The votes were cast before the championship game.
So my thesis included 13/14 games where the voters could decided, not half.
Again, would love to hear what Reggie did that was more impressive than Vince.
You made four statements:
1) Texas set an NCAA record for most points ever scored in a season.
2) They set a record in conference championship games with a 70-3 destruction of Colorado.
3) They went into Reggie Bush’s backyard and Vince Young led two late drives to win the national championship.
4) Texas ended the season undefeated. USC’s only loss, in their home stadium, was to Vince Young.
Two of those four - three of the four if you include #1 - pertain to stuff that happened after the Heisman was awarded. Two out of four is half.
Keeping in mind we're talking pre-USC game here:
Well, for one thing, Reggie was great all year. Vince Young put up almost a third of his rushing yards in one game (267 of 850). His 2700 yards and 26 TDs passing are also relatively unremarkable. He threw for 300 yards just once and 298 another time.
Reggie was far more consistent - 100+ yards in 8 of 12 games, 97 in a 9th. He hit 260 yards in game, 294 in another. He had over 1600 yards rushing, almost 400 receiving, another 400 in kick returns and almost 200 in punt returns. He had FOUR games where he averaged 10 yards per carry and averaged 8.87 YPC for the season.
Vince had an amazing season and his Rose Bowl performance was incredible (I'd argue he was even better the year before against Michigan). But during the regular season, Reggie was better.
Both Reggie Bush and Vince Young have talked about this. As far as I remember, it was offered to Vince, he said no, and Reggie respects him for saying no.
We are just going to have to agree to disagree. Everyone here knows very well how soft the PAC-12 defenses were that year. Here’s the proof in case anyone forgot. It was laughable the holes Reggie ran through. If he were in the SEC he’d be just another back.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2005-team-defense.html
Speaking of the SEC, Joseph Addai out of LSU was drafted after Reggie in the NFL draft. He had over 1,000 yards each of his first two years in the NFL. Then injuries from the SEC pounding and NFL pounding caught up with him.
Not saying Reggie was worse then him, but Reggie only had two 1,000 rushing yard seasons in the NFL. His running totals were very low his first two years, but I think NO was babying him a bit.
Some were saying he was a bust after the first couple of years.
My only point is that if Reggie went to an SEC school, he would have had the same physical struggles against those SEC defenses that Addai did, and would not have won the Heismann.
But he was fortunate running against the very low rated PAC-12 defenses in 2005.
A little peculiar that now that SC will allow Bush on campus, he starts whining to anyone who'll listen in order to get the trophy back.
His refusal to talk to the NCAA back when it mattered cost SC many bowl games and restricted scholies. "I didn't take any money". But his family members sure did and never denied it.
What happened then was a crime. Now with NIL, acceptable.
the Saints want their pick back
I want my 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL back.
Golden age,
It was the PAC 10 that year. PAC had 4 teams in the final top 25 and the SEC had 5. The conferences were not on par but it was a lot closer than today.
Bush was an electrifing college runner. Tebow was a heck of a college player also. Sometimes college skills and body don't work in the pros but that doesn't diminish their college accomplishments.
Speaking of the SEC, My favorite Saban halftime speech, ' if you boys don't start blocking in the second half, you're going to class next week '.