There is no debating when it comes to who won the Heisman Trophy in 2005; None other than USC Trojans’ legend and NFL superstar, Reggie Bush. There were no ands, ifs or buts about who won and who deserved the prestigious award that year!
Reggie Bush: “All-Time Great” for the Trojan Football Program
After Reggie Bush graduated, and while he was playing in the NFL (he was the second overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft), the NCAA took extraordinarily harsh action that ultimately resulted in Bush being stripped of his Heisman and the imposition of sanctions which crippled the Trojans’ historic football program for years. The sanctions that were imposed also put the entire athletics’ program on four years’ probation, taking away over 30 football scholarships and stripped the team of every victory that Bush participated in from December 2004 through their 2005 season.
The NCAA sanctions were imposed in June, 2010. As summarized in The Atlantic:
“Because the NCAA … concluded … Bush and his family had accepted money and perks—reportedly worth about $300,000—from two aspiring sports marketers, he received one of the most severe punishments in the history of college athletics. The records he set were stricken from the books. Bush carries the humiliating distinction of being the only player who ever had to return his Heisman. Not even O. J. Simpson, who famously was accused of double murder, was forced to give up his 1968 trophy.
“USC had to vacate 14 wins that Bush played in, including the Trojans’ national-championship victory over Oklahoma in 2005. USC was also docked 30 scholarships and excluded from the postseason for two years. Bush became an outcast at the school. His jersey was even taken down at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Trojans’ home stadium. Imagine leading a program to 34 straight victories and then being treated as if you never existed….
“By exploiting players and cutting them completely out of the financial success of college sports, the NCAA created an underground economy that college athletes such as Bush took advantage of. Once those players were caught, the NCAA hypocritically punished them for partaking in the billion-dollar economy that they built.”
The NCAA’s sanctions against USC have been roundly criticized by prominent sports journalists. including Ted Miller of ESPN, who wrote, “It’s become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA’s refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization.”
With Bush leading the way, USC won 34 straight games from 2003-2005. Although the NCAA doesn’t officially recognize Southern Cal for its true winning streak, athletes, fans, and sports journalists do.
Georgia just had its win streak snapped at 29. USC reached 34 straight wins from 2003-05.
I don’t see anyone besting that streak anytime soon.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) December 3, 2023
As recently observed in Sports Illustrated:
“It’s unfortunate that Bush’s Heisman is not recognized by the NCAA or the Heisman Trust, as Bush is one of the most electrifying college football players in the history of the sport.
“Bush earned 784 of the 892 possible first-place votes when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2005….
“Bush rushed for 1,740 yards on 8.7 yards per carry with 16 touchdowns that season. He also caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two scores, proving his worth as a dual-threat back en route to a Heisman rout.”
Bush amassed a staggering “total of 2,890 all-purpose yards” in 2005.” His speed and athleticism were second-to -none.
However, Bush’s name is omitted from the official list of Heisman winners. The year 2005 simply does not appear on the list.
In 2021, the Heisman Trust issued a statement, which provides, in part:
“The on-field accomplishments of Reggie Bush during the 2005 season at USC were remarkable and remain in the memories of all college football fans that had the privilege of witnessing him in action….
“Bush’s 2005 season records remain vacated by the NCAA and, as a result, under the rule[s] set forth by the Heisman Trust and stated on the Heisman Ballot, he is not eligible to be awarded the 2005 Heisman Memorial Trophy. Should the NCAA reinstate Bush’s 2005 status, the Heisman Trust looks forward to welcoming him back to the Heisman family.”
Thus, the ball is in the court of the NCAA. Will the NCAA respond to increasing calls to take the steps necessary to pave the way for the return of Bush’s Heisman Trophy? Players, including Bush’s fellow Heisman winners, are calling for the Heisman Trophy to be returned to Bush.
Growing Chorus to Return Heisman to Trojan Great
In the words of L.A. Times sports journalist, Bill Plaschke, “[T]he fact that arguably the best running back in college football history doesn’t have his Heisman is just silly.” Plaschke concludes, “[T]he memories of [Bush’s] brilliance should once again be whole.”
Johnny Manziel is calling for Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy to be returned. Manziel, who won the 2012 Heisman Trophy, tweeted:
After careful thought and consideration I will be humbly removing myself from the Heisman trophy ceremony until @ReggieBush gets his trophy back. Doesn’t sit right with my morals and values that he can’t be on that stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman trophy.
Do the…
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) March 2, 2024
(Note: Johnny Football’s tweet regarding Bush and the Heisman, which was sent out just a few days ago — on March 2, 2024 — has already received nearly 90,000 likes.)
1995 Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George, endorsed Manziel’s position and has advocated for the return of the award to Bush in televised interviews.
.@EddieGeorge2727 agrees with @JManziel2 and says it’s time to give @ReggieBush his Heisman back 👀
📺: https://t.co/2GxM7NC9Ge
🎧: https://t.co/8l38kWCDvg pic.twitter.com/wPpjdzMiss— All Facts No Brakes (@AllFactsPod) March 7, 2024
Atlanta Falcons rookie RB “joined the chorus calling for the return of Heisman Trophy.” In Robinson’s words:
“You can’t take away what he did on the field. Everyone knows what he did. I don’t think you should take away the Heisman, especially for what he did that season. He took over college football.”
Furthermore, as recently reported by John Goldman of Gridiron Heroics, “USC alumnus Brian Kennedy, who owns Regency Outdoor Advertising, [has] … display[ed] billboards with the demand ‘Give Reggie Bush his Heisman Back!'”
A Dissenting Voice in the Wilderness
Not everyone is on board.
Kyle Golik of Mike Farrell Sports posted a column on March 8, 2024, entitled, “The ‘Bush Push’ For Return of the Heisman Is Annoying.”
In his article, Golik faults Johnny Manziel for recently tweeting out support for the growing consensus that the Heisman Trust should restore Bush’s title as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner. Golik criticizes Manziel’s work ethic, stating he “never puts in the work.” In a broader swat, Golik proclaims “Manziel’s life” is a “‘comedy of errors'”.
Golik then goes on to dub Bush “the modern antihero”, and compares him to Pete Rose.
Wow! Did Mr. Golik wake up on the wrong side of the bed on March 8, 2024?
Manziel, who was the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy award, had a spectacular season in 2012 which has been rated as the ninth best individual college football season of all time. Bush’s Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2005 is rated the sixth best individual college football season ever. The on-field performances of Bush and Manziel were the best of the best in their respective Heisman-winning seasons, which is precisely what the Heisman Trophy is designed to reward.
Golik’s characterizations of Bush as an “antihero” and Manziel as a slacker, who “never puts in the work[,]” are belied by the video of the two Heisman winners’ remarkable, exhilarating performances. That video footage memorializes two college football players performing at the pinnacle of athletic ability, to the delight of their thousands, if not millions, of fans.
Enough of the Hypocrisy; Return the Trophy; Remove the Unwarranted Stain from Bush’s Reputation
The sanctions against USC and Bush have been criticized for many reasons, including the following:
- Many simply do not like and/or are envious of USC and the culture of the USC football program.
- The NCAA has unclean hands and did not conduct an impartial investigation.
- In connection with the investigation concerning benefits purportedly received by Bush, courts found that the NCAA maliciously went after former USC assistant coach/recruiter, Todd McNair. In 2021, the NCAA settled a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by McNair.
What Really Drove the Sanctions Against USC and Bush?
Was the punishment of USC, at least in part, based on the circumstance that many simply do no like USC and/or “USC-ness[?]”
ESPN’s Ted Miller, who has published reports critical of the NCAA’s actions against USC and Bush, has expressed the viewpoint that the sanctions have more to do with objections to the football culture at USC than its alleged noncompliance with NCAA rules:
During a flight delay last year, I was cornered at an airport by an administrator from a major program outside the Pac-12. He made fun of me as a “USC fanboy” because of my rants against the NCAA ruling against the Trojans. But we started talking. Turned out he agreed with just about all my points. (He just didn’t like USC.)
He told me, after some small talk and off-the-record, that “everybody” thought USC got screwed. He said that he thought the NCAA was trying to scare everyone with the ruling, but subsequent major violations cases put it in a pickle.
Then he told me that USC was punished for its “USC-ness,” that while many teams had closed down access — to media, to fans, etc. — USC under Pete Carroll was completely open, and that was widely resented. There was a widespread belief the national media fawned on USC because of this. Further, more than a few schools thought that the presence of big-time celebrities, such as Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell, at practices and at games constituted an unfair recruiting advantage for the Trojans.
It wasn’t against the rules, but everyone hated it. This, as he assessed his own smell test, was a subtext of the so-called atmosphere of noncompliance that the NCAA referred to — an atmosphere that oddly yielded very few instances of noncompliance around the football program even after a four-year NCAA investigation.
Echoing Miller’s remarks, former Trojan coach Pete Carroll talked with reporters in February 2014 and criticized the manner in which the NCAA investigation was handled:
“I thought [the NCAA’s investigation into USC] was dealt with poorly and very irrationally and done with way too much emotion instead of facts….
“I sat in the meetings [conducted during the course of the investigation]. I listened to the people talk. I listened to the venom that they had for our program….
“They tried to make it out like it was something else. They made a terrible error.”
Thus, at the very least, there is reason to question whether the action taken against USC was motivated in part by resentment of Hollywood glitz and glam at a prestigious private university.
The NCAA Does Not Have Clean Hands
“[T]he NCAA’s hypocritical heavy-handedness” in connection with the investigation of USC has been chronicled by top-notch journalists.
Internal e-mails, which the NCAA “fought vigorously” but unsuccessfully to seal in court, provided “a damning look inside the organization’s arbitrary decision-making process.”
A description of the University of Southern California athletics scandal is set forth in Wikipedia. The vast majority of the Wikipedia article is devoted to criticism of the NCAA’s actions and lack of impartiality.
The Chairman of the Committee on Infractions responsible for the NCAA sanctions imposed upon USC in 2010 was Paul Dee. That’s the same Paul Dee who was the athletic director of the University of Miami from 1993 to 2008, during which myriad rules violations occurred. As chronicled in the aforementioned Wikipedia article:
“It was Dee who announced the USC penalties and closed with the reminder that ‘high-profile athletes demand high-profile compliance.’ … [Ironically,] while Dee was athletic director [at Miami], [the university was at] … the center of [a] major improper benefits [scandal], specifically [involving] university booster Nevin Shapiro from 2002 until 2010. [Nevin admitted paying cash to athletes, hiring prostitutes for players, and violating a host of other NCAA rules.]
“Writers noted the hypocrisy of Miami’s more lenient punishment (loss of nine scholarships and three years of probation) compared to USC’s, despite Miami committing more serious infractions through university employees over a longer time. One writer stated: ‘it seems only fair [Dee] should spend a day at USC’s Heritage Hall wearing a sandwich board with the word ‘Hypocrite.’
Talk about breathtaking hypocrisy!
The NCAA’s Malice Toward Todd McNair During the Investigation
Former NFL player, Todd McNair, was a USC assistant coach from 2004 to 2009. He received recognition as one of the top recruiters in the country.
As a result of the NCAA’s investigation of USC, allegations were made that McNair committed ethical violations. The NCAA concluded McNair knew or should have known about benefits received by Bush and provided false information to the NCAA during its investigation.
However, McNair fought back. He sued the NCAA for defamation, alleging “NCAA officials arbitrarily and capriciously decided to ruin [his] career to further their own agenda.” After a lengthy legal battle, during which courts expressly found McNair’s testimony about relevant events credible, the NCAA settled with McNair. The financial terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
As reported by Sports Illustrated in 2015:
“In 2012, a judge called the NCAA’s investigation of McNair ‘malicious,’ and said that emails between three NCAA employees showed ‘ill will’ or ‘hatred’ toward McNair.”
USA Today reported receiving information from a source that the NCAA spent “$10 million in legal fees over the years fighting McNair.”
End Results
Courts have found that the NCAA acted with arbitrariness and malice in the course of investigating USC and Bush. Reporters have revealed improper motivations underlying the NCAA’s investigation.
It’s time for the NCAA to finally step up and do the right thing. It’s time for the NCAA to listen to the growing chorus of those calling for the Heisman Trophy to be returned to Reggie Bush. The “Heisman Trophy should be put back into the hands of its rightful owner.“
