Reggie Bush: “I got dreams of coming back into this stadium and running out of that tunnel with the football team. I got dreams of walking in here and seeing my jersey right there next to the other Heisman Trophy winners but I can’t rightfully do that without my Heisman Trophy.” pic.twitter.com/nakSPWE3qR
Buy Saints Tickets— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 23, 2023
Good on Reggie bush. The former New Orleans Saints running back and legendary USC Trojans star announced that he intends to file a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA, following 2021 claims that he participated in a prohibited “pay for play” scheme while a student-athlete at USC.
Bush is represented through the law firm McCathern, LLC, which released a statement on his behalf: “The lawsuit is based on the NCAA maliciously attacking his character through a completely false and highly offensive statement that was widely reported in the media and substantially and irreparably damaged his reputation.”
The NCAA issued a statement two summers ago which denied Bush’s appeal to have his Heisman Trophy returned to him despite changes to the organization’s NIL policy. Bush took offense at the phrasing from that statement, which included, “Although college athletes can now receive benefits from their names, images and likenesses through activities like endorsements and appearances, NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements.”
Back in 2010, Bush was forcibly disassociated with USC and had the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 revoked after an NCAA investigation revealed that his family had accepted improper recruiting benefits during his time with the Trojans. When that ten-year disassociation ended in 2020, both Bush, USC, and the Heisman Trust expressed a willingness to move forward and have him recognized for his accomplishments on the field. But the NCAA still refuses to play ball.
The McCathern statement continued: “The NCAA’s statement is completely false and highly offensive. The NCAA knew Mr. Bush was never even accused of, involved in, much less sanctioned for any ‘pay-for-play arrangement,’ which never occurred.”
We’ll see if this goes anywhere for Bush. He still has a lot of fans in New Orleans, and it would be great to see his trophy, records, and reputation restored. But as we’ve seen with the NCAA throughout its history of mismanagement, they won’t practice good leadership and take action until someone shows them how.
