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Former USC and NFL running back Reggie Bush wants his Heisman Trophy back.
The two-time national champion lost the award after he was banned by the NCAA in 2010 for receiving illegal benefits from a sports marketing agency while he was a student.
Why the NCAA should return the Heisman to Reggie Bush
This week, the NCAA finally agreed to allow student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness. Due to mounting lawsuits and previous successful legal challenges, the NCAA changed its longtime rule.
Whether the NCAA really wanted to permit the NIL rule or not, they should now retrospectively overturn previous bans and sanctions, starting with the return of the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush.
Bush issued a statement on Thursday saying he had reached out to the Heisman trust.
In an interview with The Athletic in 2020, Bush said he struggled to survive on the $1000 a month he received in scholarship money. He said:
"So, after you paid rent, that was $260 left over to last you for the month to try and cover what you ate and your utilities bill, phone bill,” Bush told the Athletic. “It’s almost impossible to do especially living in Los Angeles, so an extra $25,000 would’ve significantly changed my life in college. I don’t mean just changed it a little bit. It would’ve made things a lot less stressful because it’s stressful when you’re trying to figure out, how am I gonna eat? What am I gonna eat when the cafeteria has closed?”
It's time for the NCAA to do the right thing
Now that the NCAA has finally abolished the ridiculous and unfair rule for college athletes, it should correct its past mistakes. Giving Reggie Bush his Heisman Trophy back would be a start but there are many other student-athletes that have had their records removed from the history books due to NIL breaches.
For example, "The Fab Five" Michigan basketball team featuring Chris Weber and Jalen Rose had all their wins removed from the official record books because the players received money during their time at the university.
Let's hope that Reggie Bush gets to hold his Heisman Trophy once again and that other student-athletes are also compensated and have their records reinstated in the history books.
Reggie Bush College Football Stats
Games - 39
Rushing yards - 3,169 yards
Rushing TDs - 25
Receiving yards - 1,325
Receiving TDs - 13
Also Read: Who Is Reggie Bush's Wife?
