Former NFL running back Reggie Bush recently accused the NCAA of a flawed investigation which led to a series of lies, and ultimately, the relinquishing of his Heisman Trophy.
Bush was a star running back at USC under then (and current Seattle Seahawks) head coach Pete Carroll. Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy after racking up 1,740 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 478 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
But in 2010, Bush had to vacate the Heisman Trophy after an investigation from the NCAA determined that he received improper benefits during his college career.
In a recent edition of the “I AM ATHLETE” Podcast (transcriptions via Bro Bible), Bush stated that he “didn’t want to give” back the Heisman, but that he “was forced to”.
Bush then accused the NCAA of conducting a messy investigation, which he claimed led to multiple fabrications:
Here’s what the former NFL running back said on the matter:
“I interviewed with one guy from the NCAA and that was it. The Heisman Trust and the NCAA are two separate businesses. They don’t work together.
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But I never interviewed with the Heisman Trust. We had a conference call. They made a decision to take the Heisman Trophy based on a conference call and based on some information that they basically got through the NCAA.
The issue with that is the NCAA didn’t do their homework, which led to a bunch of lies.”
Bush was on the Trojans’ team that won the 2004 National Championship, but the school had the title taken away following the well-documented USC athletics scandal. USC went to the national championship the following season, where they fell to the Vince Young-led Texas Longhorns in a an all-time classic.
Bush was drafted second overall by the Saints in 2006, right after the Houston Texans took Mario Williams with the No. 1 selection. Though Bush didn’t live up to sky-high expectations at the NFL level, he was a two-time 1,000-yard rusher who won a Super Bowl 44 championship with the Saints.
He spent five seasons with the Saints before joining the Miami Dolphins for two seasons (2010 and 2011). Bush had a two-year stint with the Detroit Lions (2013 to 2014) and had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
