Thanks to NIL Reggie Bush is Reunited with Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trust has reinstated the 2005 Heisman to Bush citing "fundamental changes in college athletics"
In a landmark move, the Heisman Trust has reversed its decision to rescind the Heisman Trophy to former USC running back Reggie Bush. In addition to the reinstatement of his award, Bush will once again be invited to all upcoming Heisman Trophy ceremonies. The accomplishments of Bush’s legendary 2005 season that ultimately led to his Heisman victory will no longer live in the shadows of college football lore.
In 2010, Bush was stripped of his Heisman Trophy following an investigation into the USC athletic department that found a lack of institutional control. The investigation unearthed improper benefits awarded to the Heisman winning running back during his tenure at USC from 2003-2005. Upon receiving this information, the Heisman Trust decided to rescind the award to honor and uphold the revered tradition of amateurism in collegiate sport.
Now, in the era of NIL, the Heisman Trust has reevaluated their 2010 decision. In an official statement from the Heisman Trust: "Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush, who unquestionably was the most outstanding college football player of 2005."
The player compensation alluded to is the now universal practice of NIL collectives: corporations with the singular focus of soliciting funds from boosters to pay student-athletes for their athletic talent. NIL collectives exist at every non-military FBS institution and serve as a proxy pay-roll for student-athletes. Just last week, Virginia lawmakers enshrined the first NIL law to allow schools to directly pay student-athletes NIL money, further indicating that the “amateur” nature of collegiate athletics is in the rear-view mirror.
In a statement to ESPN, Bush expressed his excitement, “I'm thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I'm honored to return to the Heisman family." Bush has lobbied for the reinstatement of his trophy since the inception of NIL in 2021 and public support has followed.
Bush accepted improper benefits in a time where it was “against NCAA rules”; anecdotal evidence leads us to speculate that so did many of his peers. Bush’s ultimate mistake was that he was caught. Now, men’s revenue athletes not only receive the same treatment as Bush era athletes publicly but hold NIL payment as a legally protected right. The federal court system has overhauled college sports, and the continued pressure against restrictive NCAA practices from athlete advocacy groups, state lawmakers, and the judiciary has forced the hand of the Heisman Trust, like the NCAA, to adapt to a new normal.
