College Football

Heisman Trust says only NCAA has the power to reinstate Reggie Bush's trophy

Updated Jul. 30, 2021 8:20 a.m. ET

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One former college football superstar wants his name and accolades added back to the sports history books. 

The NCAA approved a policy that went into effect July 1 allowing student-athletes in all three divisions of collegiate athletics to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), and dozens of current college athletes got in on the act right away.

With that, the sports world couldn’t help but think about some huge names throughout the years who weren’t able to legally cash in on their NIL, with one name sticking out in particular: Reggie Bush.

On Thursday, the former USC Trojans running back took to social media to advocate for the reinstatement of both his 2005 Heisman Trophy and his school records, revealing that he and his team have reached out to the NCAA and the Heisman Trust but have "received no help."

"It is my strong belief that I won the Heisman Trophy solely due to my hard work and dedication on the football field," Bush wrote. 

On Friday, the Heisman Trophy Trust released an official statement saying it would gladly return Bush's trophy to him — but only if the NCAA reinstates his award-winning season. The statement read, in part:

"The on-field accomplishments of Reggie Bush during the 2005 season at USC were remarkable and remain in the memories of all college football fans that had the privilege of witnessing him in action. … The Heisman Trophy ballot used by voters has a rule governing eligibility for the award, which was in effect in 2005, which states: 

"‘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 recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete.'

"Bush’s 2005 season records remain vacated by the NCAA and, as a result, under the rule set forth by the Heisman Trust and stated on the Heisman Ballot, he is not eligible to be awarded the 2005 Heisman Memorial Trophy. Should the NCAA reinstate Bush’s 2005 status, the Heisman Trust looks forward to welcoming him back to the Heisman family."

Bush played for USC from 2003 to '05 and led the Trojans to back-to-back national championships in 2003 and ‘04 before leaving to join the NFL as the second overall pick in the 2006 draft. He amassed 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns rushing, 1,301 yards and 13 TDs receiving, and 2,081 yards and four TDs on returns during his time at USC.

In 2010, the NCAA concluded an investigation that revealed that Bush and his family received  improper gifts while he was a student-athlete at USC, violating then-NCAA policies regarding endorsements and sponsorships while retaining eligibility.

Both USC's 2004 BCS National Championship and Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy were vacated as a result. The 2005 season is currently the only one in the Heisman Trophy's 86-year history with no winner.

In a May 2020 interview with The Athletic, Bush referred to the sanctions against USC due to his conduct as "one of the worst feelings in the world" and said he "felt like [he] died" upon learning that USC was docked 30 scholarships over three years in the wake of the violations.

"I'm still not over that," he said. "It's just something you learn to live with."

Will that soon change? Only time will tell.

For now, all eyes will be on the NCAA, waiting to see if it does what many in the sports world believe is right.

Here's a sampling of what social media had to say: 

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