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Reggie Bush Forfeits His Heisman Trophy

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Caving in to relentless media pressure, University of Southern California’s 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush returned his award, apparently before the New York’s Downtown Athletic Club in Lower Manhattan revoked college football’s biggest prize. Bush has been under intense pressure to give up the Heisman since a June 11 NCAA investigation found USC and Bush guilty of violating NCAA rules related to accepting under-the-table cash. Bush and his family reportedly received hundred-of-thousands of dollars while playing D-1A football at SC. Bush becomes the first recipient since Jay Berwanger received the Heisman prize Dec. 9, 1935 to forfeit the award. Bush won the Heisman in 2005, leading the nation with 220.3 all-purpose and 133.85 rushing yards a game, setting a PAC 10 record of piling up 513 total yards against Fresno State Nov. 19, 2005

Forfeiting the trophy presents problems for the Heisman Committee either vacating the 2005 award completely or giving it to the runner up former Texas quarterback Vince Young, now calling signals for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Bush received 784 first-place votes to Young’s 79 in 2005 Heisman balloting. “The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting. In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award , nor on any other institutions or individuals,” Bush said in a prepared statement, stopping short of the mea culpa expected from the media. Members of the NCAA and Heisman committee calling for Bush to surrender his trophy know that Bush’s accomplishments on the playing field had nothing to do with any NCAA infractions.

Awarding the trophy to Young would defeat the purpose of the award that recognized the nation’s top college football player. Bush, who finished a distant 5th in 2004 to his USC teammate Matt Leinart, blew away the competition in 2005. No one accused the Bush of abusing steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, only violating NCAA rules about taking money. “The Heisman Trophy Trust will issue a statement in due course,” said Heisman Trust President William J. Dockerty. “Until then, we will have no further comment,” refusing to speculate on whether Young, the 2005 runner-up, would receive Bush’s vacated trophy. No other Heisman recipient has forfeited the award in its 75-year history, in part due to the fact the winner’s stats speak for themselves. Stripping Bush of his Heisman opens up a can of worms since his 2005 stats were earned fairly on the grass.

Former Heisman winners have mixed feelings about whether or not Bush should surrender his trophy. “It’s wrong that Reggie is the only individual getting punished,” said 1982 University of Georgia Heisman-winning running back Hershel Walker. “Pete Carroll was in a position of leadership and could have helped Reggie. He gets to leave USC and take all the money from Seattle. Are they going to fine Pete Carroll, too?” begging the question of whether or not Bush is the only Heisman winner to ever take under-the-table cash from a sports agent or anyone else. Most acknowledge that Bush got his hand caught in the cookie jar, signaling him out, as Walker points out, for excessive punishment. While there’s plenty of blame to go around, Carroll was out-of-the-loop when Bush appeared to be living high-on-the-hog, while strutting around Tommy Trojan in 2005.

Martyring Bush accomplishes nothing for the Heisman Trophy or NCAA. In case Walker forgets, Carroll represented the SC football program, prompting the NCAA to issue a two-year ban in post-season bowl appearances. Carroll may have bailed out at the right time but former Heisman winner and SC Athletic Director Mike Garrett paid the ultimate price, resigning Sept. 7. Banning the PAC 10’s premier football program for two years of bowl games, the NCAA engaged in overkill. Forcing Bush to forfeit his Heisman reflects the kind of harshness unbefitting college athletics. While mistakes were made, the NCAA turns a blind eye to other comparable situations, reflecting the hypocrisy of amateur sports. Poverty-stricken athletes, especially minorities, have a difficult time making ends meet. Wealthy agents and alumni routinely throw cash at poor star athletes.

Reggie made some serious mistakes while playing his college ball at USC. What he did on the field had nothing to do with taking money from boosters or wannabe sports agents. Stripping him of his Heisman Trophy goes over the top, when the whole matter could have been resolved with a fine for breaching NCAA rules. Banning SC from post-season play hurts the NCAA, PAC 10 and college football, robbing paying fans of the pleasure of watching the nation’s premier football programs compete for college football’s top prize. Instead of stripping Bush of his Heisman and banning SC’s bowl games, the NCAA should have fined both Bush and SC for any real transgressions. Piling on excessive punishment helps no one other than a few vindictive souls looking for revenge. Bush and SC have accepted the punishment but it’s done nothing to solve the real problem.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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