As we head toward the NCAA’s announcement later this week — possibly — of its findings in their investigation of the USC football program, there’s another issue that could be on the table pending the outcome of the governing body’s probe into Reggie Bush allegedly receiving benefits.
Bush’s Heisman Trophy.
If Bush, the 2005 Heisman winner, is declared retroactively ineligible for the 2004 and 2005 seasons — which is certainly a possibility — the Heisman Trust would then have a dilemma on their hands. Their own rules state that the “recipient must be in compliance with the with the bylaws defining an NCAA student-athlete.”
What to do?
In a survey of 50 of the 920-odd Heisman voters, the Orange County Register found that the majority would recommend doing nothing. According to the Register, 29 of the 50 voters responded that Bush should keep his Heisman. There were 19 voters who felt the former USC running back should be stripped of the award, while two others surveyed did not have an opinion on the matter right now.
“Seems to me it just creates a lot of problems, as in, when is Vince Young‘s Heisman ceremony? It’s the old toothpaste-back-in-the-tube thing,” said Seattle Times college football columnist Bud Withers. “And it’s exacerbated because of the length of this investigation. Here we are five years after Bush won it, debating this.”
The not-so-small minority presents a very strong argument for ripping the award away from Bush.
“It’s all symbolic at this point, because Bush won the award and received the accolades back in 2005,” said George Schroeder, columnist for the Eugene Register Guard. “But stripping him of the award would be important symbolism. Suddenly he is not a former Heisman winner and he is no longer welcome at the annual ceremonies.”
But, still, O.J. Simpson wasn’t stripped of his award, and he murdered two people. Yeah, he killed two innocent people long after he received the Heisman and his collegiate eligibility expired, but c’mon…
Is this the Family Feud?
Survey Says:
Bush should be able to keep his national championship, his heisman and that house he got from playing at USC.
Merge the NFL with the NCAA. Pay all the players. HA!
The article makes a good point, but cheaters who are caught cheating, must forfeit their wins. Floyd Landis was caught cheating in the Tour de France. He lost his win. Who won? No one, really. The toothpaste was out of the tube. The point is that Floyd Landis DIDN’T win.
Reggie Bush CAN’T keep the trophy, the wins, the stats, or the MNC.
OJ Simpson is rotting in jail for a crime he was convicted of. It has nothing to do with cheating during his playing days at USC.
A survey from a left coast rag would probably be the most friendly to Reggie.
If he is found to be ineligible by the NCAA, the HT will be stripped…no matter what the voters say as it is in the rules. The question is whether or not Young gets it or it is just vacant.
O.J. is a non sequitur as the issue is whether or not Reggie ran afoul of the NCAA as a player. O.J. committed murder long after his playing days.
The fact that they are even considering stripping Bush of his Heisman Trophy which he won nearly 5 years ago, is a complete and total joke!!! I’ll acknowledge the fact that receiving benefits, be it: cash, cars, or in this case a house to live in are wrong and inexcusable. I won’t condone or make excuses for him and his family participating in such acts. However, those
DO NOT translate onto the football field, nor do they affect a player’s performance on the field of play. If Reggie Bush had been found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs in the 2005 season, then I could see an argument for wanting to strip him of the Heisman Trophy.
Reggie Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy based on his performance on the football field, plain and simple. Any gifts that he or his family may have accepted are completely irrelevant to the matter of him deservedly winning the award. Anybody who says otherwise is playing the role of wannabe lawyer.
Either that, or Reggie Bush snubbed you for an autograph one time, and this a way for you to feel better about yourself.
FratBoyXXX…
The Heisman Trust has its rules. No one is playing wannabe lawyer as this isn’t a legal issue, rather is it a trust giving (and maybe taking away) an award based on their established rules.
It doesn’t matter whether or not the extra benefits affected him on the field. It is a matter of compliance with the NCAA according to the Heisman Trust.
I am not a lawyer, but ineligible is a subset of non-compliance.
From the website…
http://www.heisman.com/history/balloting.php
The Heisman Trust ballots state that “In order that there will be no misunderstanding regarding the eligibility of a candidate, the recipient of the award MUST be a bona fide student of an accredited college or university including the United States Academies. The recipients must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete.”
“O.J. Simpson wasn’t stripped of his award, and he murdered two people.” You lost all credibility with me based on that statement. O.J. was NOT found guilty of murdering anyone. He was ACQUITED. The only culpability he has related to the deaths was losing a civil trial.
You’re biais towards black people is showing. Thus, you have no moral standing on the topic of Reggie Bush.