The ultimate 2005 Rose Bowl showdown between the USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns will forever be cemented in history as one of college sports’ most memorable moments. With a 41-38 victory, the latter became that season’s BCS national champions with the help of Texas quarterback Vince Young, who went head-to-head with Trojan quarterback Matt Leinart.
Reggie Bush, a 2023 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, was very much attached to that era of time as one of the standout college football players with an outstanding record that included two national championships, 433 rushes for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns, and 95 receptions for 1,301 yards and 13 touchdowns, 7.3 yards per carry, and 6,552 career all-purpose yards, according to the Football Foundation.
His reputation was tainted when in 2010 he was coerced into forfeiting his Heisman Trophy in the midst of NCAA accusing the running back of violating rules prohibiting the acceptance of compensation in various forms from USC throughout his time at the private university. The action would become the very first time the Heisman Trophy was retracted.
Now, the Heisman Trust is reinstating the honor to the NFL player and USC following a campaign by Bush in which he cited the 2021 NIL changes that opened the door to college athletes earning compensation for their name, image, likeness, and other practices that garnered benefits.
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“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” said Michael Comerford, The Heisman Trophy Trust President. “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.”
Carol Folt, president of USC, was delighted by the decision, saying Bush “deserved to have his well-earned honor restored” and the university “[stands] with him as an advocate.” Johnny Manziel is one of several Heisman Trophy winners who petitioned for Bush to be reinstated with the top award. He responded to the news on X, “Thank you to the @HeismanTrophy for doing what’s right and welcoming a storied member of our history back into the fold.”
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As for Bush, he accepted the reinstatement with humility at a conference held by the Heisman Trust in Jacksonville, Florida on Wednesday.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush said in a statement. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
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