USC Trojans Disown Reggie Bush and returns his Heisman
Reggie Bush has reached the highest point in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl this past season, but now he is undergoing a nightmare regarding his college football career.
His legacy at Southern California has been tarnished and will be erased by the Trojans.
In his collegiate career, Bush rushed for 3,169 yards in three seasons at USC, won the 2005 Heisman Trophy, and helped the Trojans claim the 2004 BCS National Championship.
It has not been a good offseason for the Trojans as their head coach Pete Carroll left the team to coach the Seattle Seahawks, and the team was recently banned from bowl contention for two seasons.
The NCAA also heavily sanctioned the school for Bush's reported dealings with prospective agents, and now the school is trying to cut all its ties with the running back and erase him from their past.
USC president-elect C.L. Max Nikias announced that Bush’s Heisman Trophy will be returned to him and any “jerseys and murals” recognizing Bush’s Trojan career will be taken down in the next month.
"The Trojan Family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes," Nikias wrote in a letter.
Many were anticipating the school to do something regarding Bush’s Heisman and it wasn’t clear at first whether the team would return it to him or strip him of it.
Nikias also has announced that former USC quarterback Pat Haden will replace Michael Garrett as the school's athletic director next month. Haden played with the then-Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981 and made the Pro Bowl in the 1977 season.
Last month, the NCAA released a report that during Bush’s time with USC, Bush and his entire family accepted improper benefits from marketing agents.
The NCAA then ruled that as a result of this, USC would have to vacate victories from late 2004 through the 2005 season, a period that included the Trojans national title win over Oklahoma. USC also was assessed a two-year bowl ban and a loss of 30 scholarships over the next three years.
Bush, now playing for the Super Bowl Champions the New Orleans Saints, admitted to no wrongdoing, but expressed regret over the situation.
"This thing, regarding USC and the NCAA, is the closest thing to death without dying because I have such a great love and respect for the university," Bush said. "This has been one the toughest things I've had to deal with in my life."
Carroll, who was coaching the Trojans at the time, has denied any knowledge of Bush’s dealings in that time. Carroll finished his USC run going 97-19 with two national titles in nine years as the Trojans' coach.
"I do feel responsible being connected with it," Carroll said of USC's troubles. "I've also felt a responsibility, with the way it's come down, to work to try to get the message out there and defend somewhat."
Certainly, this is a huge setback for Bush and a heartbreaking one, too. Imagine spending your collegiate career enjoying the success he had and the success he brought the school, only for it to be erased from their memory.
Obviously, if Bush did do what he’s accused of doing, it’s a serious violation of NCAA rules and it has to be enforced. What the school does is their business and they’ll have to undergo a few tough years yet.
Bush will at least keep his Heisman, as losing it would have made the situation that much worse.
This is a tough one to swallow for Bush. However, while he may be “erased” from the school’s memory on paper, certainly all the Trojan supporters, teammates, coaches, and the school themselves, will never forget what Reggie Bush brought them.
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