Reggie Bush Admires Vince Young's Rejection of Vacated Heisman

Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young could have been a “sucker.” He could've had what eluded him in 2005.

He could have been awarded Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy, which the NCAA revoked in 2010 (Young’s final year in Tennessee) after an NCAA investigation revealed the running back had received improper benefits during his time at Southern Cal.

On the Pat McAfee show Wednesday, Bush said the NCAA ultimately offered Young the trophy. Young declined.

“He wasn’t a sucker,” Bush said. “He didn’t go for whatever that they were trying to bring towards his way. I appreciate him for that because that’s real, that’s real love.”

If Young had accepted the award, which is currently considered vacated, it would have been more than deserved.

As quarterback at the University of Texas in 2005, he had one of the more prolific seasons in college football history. Young threw for 3,036 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown in the BCS National Championship game victory over Bush and USC.

That season, Bush rushed 200 times for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two touchdowns. Bush added one more touchdown on a punt return.

Bush got nearly 10 times the number of first-place votes Young did on the Heisman ballots (784-79). Young was second in the minds of the majority of voters and earned more than twice as many points as third-place finisher Matt Leinart, Bush’s teammate and quarterback.

Young and Bush later had respectable professional careers. In the 2006 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints drafted Bush No. 2 overall. The very next pick, the Titans selected Young.

The quarterback won rookie of the year honors in 2006. He also made two Pro Bowl appearances (2006, 2007). Bush spent five years in New Orleans, helped the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2010 and played for five different teams over 11 seasons.

Recently, USC welcomed Bush back to the program after school officials disassociated themselves from him as part of the fallout that included the Heisman being stripped.

It is unclear whether Bush ever will be recognized again as the winner of college football’s top individual honor. What’s certain is that Young did not want it.

“It’s powerful, man. I think that’s so powerful,” Bush said. “When I think about it, sometimes I get chills in my back. He had every right, every right, to say ‘Yeah, give me that Heisman,’ and he didn’t. Vince showed me the kind of love that even some of the people closest to me didn’t even show me.”