Reggie Bush is one of the best college football players ever and probably one of the best five or six players to ever put on a USC uniform.
But if you looked through the university’s records at any point over the last decade, they act like he never existed. Literally. His Heisman space from 2005 is “vacant.”
That’s because USC was sanctioned by the NCAA over “improper benefits” received by Bush’s family while he attended the school.
As punishment, USC vacated everything from Bush’s time at the school — wins, bowls, trophies. Name the accompishment, it doesn’t exist. That includes Bush’s Heisman trophy win. Bush himself was also banned from the university in 2010. In addition, the program received a two-year bowl ban , and lost 30 scholarships over a three-year period.
Now, all of that is water under the bridge.
The university welcomed officially welcomed him back on Wednesday. USC made it official with a video.
Welcome home, @ReggieBush. pic.twitter.com/iUYRiyB7Px
— USC Football (@USC_FB) June 10, 2020
It’s good to see USC welcoming Bush back after all he did for the university and how good he actually was. It’s been passed time to welcome him back.
It stinks that they actually had to ban him in the first place.
Bush was in a situation where he needed money. He was strapped for cash and his family needed a bit of help with the rent. There’s nothing wrong with trying to help out, but he was punished for that. And that’s terrible.
And besides, he wasn’t even paid what he was worth. He made USC about $4 million, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. He was only hoping for an extra $25,000 from the school.
This welcome back for Bush is more than deserved. He quite literally earned it. Just give him the Heisman back.
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