USC ends the exile of Reggie Bush, former second-overall Saints draft pick

The USC Trojans ended their disassociation with Reggie Bush, the second-overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft.

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While he didn’t meet the lofty expectations put on him as the new face of the New Orleans Saints back in the day, there’s no questioning the achievements Reggie Bush made in college with the USC Trojans. They happened, even if the NCAA wished everyone could pretend otherwise — Bush helped win a national title in 2004, earned the 2005 Heisman Trophy, and gave everything he had for the Trojans in their 2006 Rose Bowl loss to the Texas Longhorns, one of the most iconic games in college football history.

Now, a decade after an improper benefits scandal brought the hammer down on USC and forced his disassociation from the school, he’s back. Initially banned for life, a 2017 NCAA rule change limited such school-individual disassociation to 10-year sentencings.

USC President Carol L. Folt welcomed Bush in a letter, writing, “I am pleased to inform you that all restrictions and prohibitions on your involvement in our athletics program are officially removed and you will be afforded the privileges and courtesies extended to all Trojan football alumni.”

Bush played 11 seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints, and hadn’t so much as attended a Trojans game until he was tapped to help work the Fox Sports broadcast of a USC game against Utah last season. He was also inducted to the Saints Hall of Fame alongside Marques Colston in 2019.

It’s unclear yet just how frequently he’ll be seen at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but Bush’s status as one of the most prominent players from a program with as rich a history as USC’s means fans shouldn’t have to wait long. The more pressing question: how long will Bush have to wait for his Heisman Trophy to be returned?

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