Well, that was fun while it lasted.
Almost exactly 24 hours after Reggie Bush issued a statement declaring he was forfeiting his 2005 Heisman, the Heisman Trust has issued their own declarative statement as to the future of Bush’s hardware.
According to the trust, they have opted to vacate the Bush’s ’05 award. No re-vote, no handing it to runner-up Vince Young.
It will be simply be vacated, as if it never happened.
“We are very appreciative of the respect Reggie Bush demonstrated for the Heisman Trust, the whole Heisman fraternity, and the continuing legacy of the Trophy in his public statement issued September 14, 2010. It was a difficult decision to return the Heisman Trophy and he exhibited great character in acknowledging his mistakes and accepting the consequences. We intend to explore further his offer to support jointly ‘an educational program which will assist student athletes and their families’ to avoid the pitfalls that plagued him during his college years as this is a part of our charitable mission as well.
“As a result of Reggie Bush’s decision to forfeit his title as Heisman winner of 2005, the Trustees have determined that there will be no Heisman Trophy winner for the year 2005.”
So, that’s that.
Now, with the Bush situation out of the way, it’s time to deal with the pesky issue of Billy Cannon’s 1959 trophy, right?