Reggie Bush getting stripped of Heisman trophy

jimmy40

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The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip former University of Southern California star running back Reggie Bush of college football’s top honor by the end of September, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Bush would become the first player in the 75-year history of the award to have the trophy taken away. The NCAA found major violations in the Trojans’ football program in June and levied serious sanctions against the school.

Two sources close to the Heisman trust said the body’s investigation is coming to a close, and will ultimately concur with the NCAA’s determination that Bush was ineligible during his Heisman-winning season in 2005. Because of that independent conclusion, sources said the trust will relieve Bush of the award and leave the honor for that season vacant. The sources said Bush met with Heisman representatives last month at the New York law offices of Emmet, Marvin & Martin. The sources would not reveal details of that meeting.
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Bush, now a standout with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, could not immediately be reached for comment.
It appears as if the Heisman Trophy Trust is about to strip Reggie Bush of his 2005 trophy.
Julie Jacobson/AP

The Heisman trust has been conducting its own independent inquiry into Bush’s eligibility since the NCAA ruled in June that the USC star had committed multiple violations by accepting cash, gifts and other impermissible benefits while playing for the Trojans. Yahoo! Sports first detailed the extra benefits in September 2006. In its findings, the NCAA retroactively ruled Bush ineligible for part of the 2004 season and all of 2005. The NCAA also ordered the USC program to remove all references to Bush from its sporting venues and promotional materials and vacate his statistics from all games in which he was ineligible.

In July, incoming USC president C.L. Max Nikias announced that the university would be returning its copy of Bush’s Heisman to the trust, stating the Trojans would honor and respect athletes who “did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes.” New USC athletic director Pat Haden followed up in August, stating during an interview with the Dan Patrick radio show that Bush should also voluntarily return his Heisman.

While others pressed for a swift decision, the trust opted for a patient, meticulous effort. Sources said the trust did its own detailed investigation over the past three months, using a litany of resources and reviewing its information against the NCAA’s findings. The trust also offered Bush a chance to impact the decision.

The process apparently came with considerable debate – in part because of the trust’s quest for due process, but also because of the unique nature of the decision. Never in the history of the award has the trust been forced to retroactively rule on the eligibility of a past winner. That reality, along with the NCAA’s findings, created a tangled knot of deliberation regarding the trust’s place in the role of enforcement. Sources said the prominent issues discussed included accountability, on-field vs. off-field conduct, implications of retroactively stripping an award and possible impact on future athletes and the NCAA.

Two factors outweighed all others, sources said: The Heisman ballot necessitates candidates be in compliance with NCAA bylaws and concern over the Heisman’s reputation in the wake of the NCAA findings against Bush.

The status of USC’s 2004 Bowl Championship Series national title remains to be determined. BCS officials are awaiting the NCAA’s ruling on the Trojans’ appeal of the June finding.
 

Hoofbite

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Good move.

Now, if only the DROY voters would have had as much sense and stripped Cushing of his title.
 

YosemiteSam

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Hoofbite;3536905 said:
Good move.

Now, if only the DROY voters would have had as much sense and stripped Cushing of his title.

The media should lose all voting privileges for anything sports related. They have proven many times they are not capable of handling it.
 

CATCH17

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Motorbreath;3536898 said:
Give it to the man who deserves it most! Vince Young.

The person who deserves it most is Reggie Bush.

It's a regular season trophy and Reggie had THE most electrifying season of all time.
 

mldardy

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CATCH17;3537017 said:
The person who deserves it most is Reggie Bush.

It's a regular season trophy and Reggie had THE most electrifying season of all time.
I agree, just leave it vacant if you are going to strip him.
 

joseephuss

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CATCH17;3537017 said:
The person who deserves it most is Reggie Bush.

It's a regular season trophy and Reggie had THE most electrifying season of all time.

I don't think so. Bush had a great season, but Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen both had more electrifying seasons the years they won their Heismans.
 

Fizziksman

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wow can the NCAA stoop any lower. i am not a Bush fan by any means but accepting money did not make him run faster jump higher or be more elusive.

and while on the subject why hasn't OJ returned his Heisman yet? i am pretty sure murder and armed robbery are worse than accepting money while in college.
 

mldardy

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BanditHiro;3537098 said:
wow can the NCAA stoop any lower. i am not a Bush fan by any means but accepting money did not make him run faster jump higher or be more elusive.

and while on the subject why hasn't OJ returned his Heisman yet? i am pretty sure murder and armed robbery are worse than accepting money while in college.
The difference he didn't do it while playing at USC.
 

joseephuss

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BanditHiro;3537098 said:
wow can the NCAA stoop any lower. i am not a Bush fan by any means but accepting money did not make him run faster jump higher or be more elusive.

and while on the subject why hasn't OJ returned his Heisman yet? i am pretty sure murder and armed robbery are worse than accepting money while in college.

If the NCAA knew at the time Bush was receiving money, they would have suspended him then. He then would not have been able to play and put up his Heisman numbers. That is why it is different than OJ's stuff.
 

YosemiteSam

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CATCH17;3537017 said:
The person who deserves it most is Reggie Bush.

No he doesn't. Which is why they are going to strip it from him.

Reggie is a man of low character. He deserves the public humiliation that is coming. He has earned it.
 

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BanditHiro;3537098 said:
wow can the NCAA stoop any lower. i am not a Bush fan by any means but accepting money did not make him run faster jump higher or be more elusive.

Rules are rules. If you break the rules, you should be punished.
 

CATCH17

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nyc;3537184 said:
No he doesn't. Which is why they are going to strip it from him.

Reggie is a man of low character. He deserves the public humiliation that is coming. He has earned it.

I have no problem stripping him of it. Just don't give it to someone else.

He did nothing to enhance his performance so he didn't cheat. He just broke monetary rules.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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CATCH17;3537017 said:
The person who deserves it most is Reggie Bush.

It's a regular season trophy and Reggie had THE most electrifying season of all time.


Sell, lets see....

2005:

4029 yards total, 38 TDs total.

65.2% completion, 3036 yards passing, 26 TDs, 10 INTs.

993 yards rushing, 6.8 YPC, 12 TDs.


2005:

2218 yards total, 18 TDs total.

1740 yards rushing, 8.7 YPC, 16 TDs.

478 Receiving yards, 12.9 YPR, 2 TDs.


Did Reggie really have a better season? I certainly think it's debatable.
 

joseephuss

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ABQCOWBOY;3537240 said:
Sell, lets see....

2005:

4029 yards total, 38 TDs total.

65.2% completion, 3036 yards passing, 26 TDs, 10 INTs.

993 yards rushing, 6.8 YPC, 12 TDs.


2005:

2218 yards total, 18 TDs total.

1740 yards rushing, 8.7 YPC, 16 TDs.

478 Receiving yards, 12.9 YPR, 2 TDs.


Did Reggie really have a better season? I certainly think it's debatable.

At the time the award was given, VY was leading the country in passing efficiency.

I think both guys were very deserving that year.

I agree with the idea of stripping Bush of the award and not giving it to anyone else.
 

CATCH17

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ABQCOWBOY;3537240 said:
Sell, lets see....

2005:

4029 yards total, 38 TDs total.

65.2% completion, 3036 yards passing, 26 TDs, 10 INTs.

993 yards rushing, 6.8 YPC, 12 TDs.


2005:

2218 yards total, 18 TDs total.

1740 yards rushing, 8.7 YPC, 16 TDs.

478 Receiving yards, 12.9 YPR, 2 TDs.


Did Reggie really have a better season? I certainly think it's debatable.

joseephuss;3537261 said:
At the time the award was given, VY was leading the country in passing efficiency.

I think both guys were very deserving that year.

I agree with the idea of stripping Bush of the award and not giving it to anyone else.

Don't forget that Reggie did all of that while splitting carries.


Also, during the season, it wasn't even a debate. Reggie was far and away the best player in the country and the votes at the time show that.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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joseephuss;3537261 said:
At the time the award was given, VY was leading the country in passing efficiency.

I think both guys were very deserving that year.

I agree with the idea of stripping Bush of the award and not giving it to anyone else.


I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. I think the award is a bit hallow if you show up 5 years later and drop it off to somebody else but on the other hand, I thought then, as I do now, that Young was more deserving of the award.

If they want to leave it vacant, then I'm OK with that. If they wanted to give it to Young and he wanted it, then I'd be OK with that too.

I just don't agree with the statement that Bush was the only deserving player that year.
 

Dallas

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CATCH17;3537307 said:
Don't forget that Reggie did all of that while splitting carries.


Also, during the season, it wasn't even a debate. Reggie was far and away the best player in the country and the votes at the time show that.

But Vince wasn't getting 1000's of dollars from crooked agents. The parents of Vince also were not being put up in a fantastic SOCAL home for months on end for free.

We could do the ...yahhhh but Vince didn't thing all night... ;)


Bush CHEATED the system and got caught. That's a cheater bro, no matter how you want to spin it. :cool:
 

ABQCOWBOY

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CATCH17;3537307 said:
Don't forget that Reggie did all of that while splitting carries.


Also, during the season, it wasn't even a debate. Reggie was far and away the best player in the country and the votes at the time show that.

No, I don't agree with this at all. Heck, lots of players split carries in the backfield. That's not new. However, if you wanted to make that argument, then you would also have to acknowledge the fact that Reggie played on a team that was loaded with talent. You couldn't line up and try to focus on stopping Bush because there were plenty of players on that team that could hurt you. With Young, you could focus on stopping him and I would have to say that this would be something that would favor Young in this debate.

As far as not being debatable, your dead wrong. Young was ahead on most ballets till that Fresno State overtime game. Had the vote been taken after the season, Young would have won hands down. I don't think it's fair to say that Reggie was the runaway, clear cut choice the whole year.
 
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