reggie bush heisman mosaic

Sad news coming out of college football today: Former USC Trojan Reggie Bush has announced that he will surrender the Heisman Trophy that he won in 2005, in the face of a pending decision from the Heisman Trust. The idea of Bush becoming disassociated with college football’s highest honor stemmed from evidence revealing that the running back received benefits in 2004 and 2005 that were illegal under NCAA rules.

“One of the greatest honors of my life was winning the Heisman Trophy in 2005,” the statement released by the New Orleans Saints reads. “For me, it was a dream come true. But I know that the Heisman is not mine alone. Far from it. I know that my victory was made possible by the discipline and hard work of my teammates, the steady guidance of my coaches, the inspiration of the fans, and the unconditional love of my family and friends. And I know that any young man fortunate enough to win the Heisman enters into a family of sorts. Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name.

“It is for these reasons that I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005.” –via the monolith.

I’ve said this before of the NCAA’s revisionist airbrushing of history: just because Reggie won’t have the trophy doesn’t mean that he didn’t win it. The issue with cracking down on Reggie Bush is that (a) just because he was found circumventing the rules doesn’t mean that nobody else was, and (b) it’s not as if we’re all going to forget that Reggie Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy. I’m not a fan of destroying the legacies of athletes who’ve been suddenly labeled as “dirty.” Except for Craig James. That bastard is as scummy as they come.