In 2010, Reggie Bush became the first person to forfeit the Heisman Trophy after ending up at the center of an overblown scandal concerning his time playing at USC. It took longer than it should have, but he’s officially being reunited with the hardware a couple of months after Johnny Manziel expressed his solidarity.
There was little doubt Reggie Bush was going to win the Heisman Trophy based on what he achieved during his junior season in 2005, and the man who racked up 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground while averaging an absurd 8.7 yards per carry ultimately received 784 first-place votes (Vince Young, who came in second, earned 79).
Bush understandably decided to declare for the NFL Draft after that stellar campaign (he was selected by the Saints with the second overall pick), but he eventually found himself involved in an NCAA investigation after turning pro courtesy of an agent of claimed he’d given the running back and his parents close to $300,000 in gifts.
In 2010, the NCAA brought the hammer down on Bush and USC when it determined he’d received impermissible benefits during his time at the school. The Trojans were forced to vacate victories, hit with a bowl ban, and severed ties with the former star—who also agreed to forfeit his Heisman Trophy before the organization that gave it to him could vote to take it away.
Bush used the advent of the NIL Era to reveal he’d been lobbying the NCAA and the Heisman Trust to reverse course, and in 2022, he accused that former of spreading lies to smear his name while saying the latter had actually agreed to give the trophy back to him.
It took a couple of years, but on Wednesday, ESPN reported Bush is getting his Heisman Trophy back (USC will receive a replica to display on campus) and will also be permitted to attend the presentation ceremony for the first time in close to 15 years now that the powers that be have reversed course.
Now, it might be a stretch to suggest Johnny Manziel was instrumental in this decision, but it’s worth noting this development transpired less than two months after the former QB announced his intentions to skip the Heisman Trophy ceremony until Bush got some justice.
Can I prove Johnny Football helped make this happen? No, but until you can prove he didn’t, I’m running with that theory.
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