Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — Former USC running back Reggie Bush had his Heisman Trophy returned to him April 24 by the Heisman Trust.
The Heisman Trust announced it is making a formal “reinstatement” of the trophy to Bush in response to what it calls “enormous changes in the college football landscape.” Bush was awarded the Heisman in 2005 but forfeited the trophy in 2010 after USC was sanctioned by the NCAA, which determined Bush received improper benefits from the university during his college career from 2003 to 2005.
In the years since, however, the rules governing college athletes and compensation have changed dramatically, allowing many players to land lucrative endorsement deals and payment for the use of their name and image.
According to the Heisman Trust, it will return the trophy to Bush and a replica to USC, and Bush will be allowed to participate in all future Heisman Trophy ceremonies beginning in December.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush said in a statement to ESPN. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
Bush was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 18 touchdowns in the 2005 college football season. He received 784 first-place votes in the 2005 Heisman Trophy voting, the fifth-most in Heisman Trophy history, and led USC to the national title game, which it lost to Texas.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” Michael Comerford, president of the Heisman Trophy Trust, said in a statement. “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.”
USC President Carol Folt issued a statement saying she is “so happy for Reggie and the entire Trojan Family.”
“He won our hearts during his illustrious career and deserved to have his well-earned honor restored,” Folt said. “We are looking forward to celebrating with him and his family and are proud we were able to stand with him as an advocate.”
USC Athletic Director Jen Cohen added, “This is a momentous day for Reggie Bush and the entire USC community as we celebrate the rightful return of his Heisman Trophy. Reggie’s impact at USC and on college football as a whole is truly unmatched. He has displayed the utmost resiliency and heart throughout this process and is so deserving of every accolade and trophy he’s ever received. We are grateful to the Heisman Trophy Trust for making this happen.”
University officials noted that with the reinstatement, USC now boasts the most Heisman Trophy winners. Other Trojans to win the award were Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Caleb Williams.
Bush has long campaigned for the return of his Heisman, denying any wrongdoing during his playing days but then stepping up his protests upon the loosening of rules for compensating college athletes. He filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA last year, accusing the college athletic-oversight organization of falsely claiming he had a “pay-for-play” arrangement while playing for the Trojans.
The suit focused on a 2021 statement by the NCAA when it declined to reinstate Bush’s collegiate records, citing a “pay-for-play arrangement.” At the time, officials with the Heisman Trust had indicated they would consider returning Bush’s Heisman if the NCAA would reinstate his records, but the NCAA refused.
Bush played for USC from 2003-05, helping the Trojans to a share of the 2003 national championship and the 2004 national championship, which it vacated in connection with the NCAA investigation.
According to the NCAA investigation, Bush, his mother and stepfather accepted thousands of dollars in cash and free housing from a would-be marketer while Bush was playing for USC beginning in December 2004. He and his family were also given an automobile, air travel, hotel lodging, transportation and other benefits, according to the NCAA’s 67-page report.
Bush’s attorneys, however, refuted the results of the NCAA probe, insisting Bush never received any payment or benefit from USC.
“No one ever paid him,” Bush attorney Levi McCathern said during a news conference last year at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the Trojans. “Reggie was never paid for play. Never pay for play. The violations that they found, which were based on shoddy evidence, a sloppy investigation, terrible work by the NCAA, were very marginal violations at best — things like loaning money for Reggie to fix his car, allowing Reggie to change clothes.”
