Reggie Bush to get 2005 Heisman Trophy back
Former USC superstar running back and 11-year NFL veteran Reggie Bush will be getting his 2005 Heisman Trophy back, nearly 14 years after it was forfeited due to an NCAA scandal surrounding Bush and USC, ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel was the first to report Wednesday.
Kudos to college football for giving it back, a decision made by the Heisman Trust committee outside of Jacksonville, Fla. Bush, now one of eight USC players to ever win the award, the most in the country, won the Heisman after rushing for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 games, in addition to hauling in 37 catches for 478 yards.
“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 to ESPN. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
Once the introduction of NIL opened the floodgates for collegiate athletes to earn compensation around the country, Bush lobbied for the return of his trophy, reaching out to the committee and the NCAA multiple times hoping to be reinstated.
Now, justice has been served on Bush’s behalf.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust, said in a statement. “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.
“Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush, who unquestionably was the most outstanding college football player of 2005.”
Over his three-year career with the Trojans, Bush was one of the most electrifying players in the sport. He averaged 8.5 yards per touch, racking up 4,470 yards from scrimmage–including 3,169 yards on 7.3 yards per attempt–with 38 total touchdowns.
Bush was drafted No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 draft, carving out a solid NFL career. He played 11 combined seasons with the Saints, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers; he rushed for 5,490 career yards and 36 touchdowns with 3,598 receiving yards and 18 additional yards, helping New Orleans secure their first-and-only ever Super Bowl title in 2009.
“I am so happy for Reggie and the entire Trojan Family,” USC president Carol Folt said in a statement. “He won our hearts during his illustrious career and deserved to have his well-earned honor restored. We are looking forward to celebrating with him and his family and are proud we were able to stand with him as an advocate.”
By getting his Heisman back, he will now be able to participate in other Heisman events with previous trophy winners. Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who won the award in 2012, said in early March that he would not attend the trophy ceremony until Bush got his back.
Manziel commented on the news on Twitter Wednesday morning:
It’s unclear whether or not other former Trophy winners felt a similar sentiment, but the seismic boom of NIL didn’t leave the NCAA much of a choice. Now, Bush gets his well-deserved trophy back nearly two decades after earning it.
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