By Charles Robinson and Jason Cole 1 hour, 30 minutes ago
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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.
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.
Originally Posted by InChiefsHell:
Damn. Like he never existed. It's laughable now, but 20 or 30 years from now, nobody will know anything about him. That's just weird...
Can they list him as an alumni with a Super Bowl ring? [Reply]
Originally Posted by InChiefsHell:
Damn. Like he never existed. It's laughable now, but 20 or 30 years from now, nobody will know anything about him. That's just weird...
That's just the university's records, I'm sure he'll still be listed in any independent record books, probably with an asterisk by his name. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
There has to be some consequence for his actions.
Oh, I agree, there should be, but the truth is there's not really a whole hell of a lot the NCAA can do to him personally. He's no longer under their jurisdiction. [Reply]
If they don't strip Woodson's Heisman the award is a sham. Woodson testified under penalty of perjury in court that he took benefits from an agent during his college career. Investigation over, he was not in compliance with NCAA rules. Therefore, he must be stripped of the Heisman. [Reply]
It's sad that kids that had nothing to do with infractions of previous players, or coaching staffs, are the ones that suffer the consequences of those actions.
The Downtown Athletic Club is stripping Bush of his Heisman.
Originally Posted by jspchief:
I agree. His violations had nothing to do with his on field performance.
Actually, they did. Because his violations made him ineligible. If he was ineligible, his on-the-field performances don't count. If his on-the-field performances don't count, then there is nothing to base the Heisman Trophy on. If there is nothing to base the awarding of the Heisman Trophy on, then the awarding of the Heisman Trophy is invalidated. See how that works?
They guy cheated, whether it was off-the-field cheating or not. He cheated. He got caught. His senior season no longer exists. Including the Heisman. [Reply]
Millionaire SB champion football player,banging hollywood babes left and right minus a trophy....Hmmmmmmmm.Big fucking deal. Posted via Mobile Device [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saccopoo:
Actually, they did. Because his violations made him ineligible. If he was ineligible, his on-the-field performances don't count. If his on-the-field performances don't count, then there is nothing to base the Heisman Trophy on. If there is nothing to base the awarding of the Heisman Trophy on, then the awarding of the Heisman Trophy is invalidated. See how that works?
They guy cheated, whether it was off-the-field cheating or not. He cheated. He got caught. His senior season no longer exists. Including the Heisman.
Of course they still count. He still helped his team win. He still helped his team get to the title game. He still helped return USC to greatness. He still gave football fans exciting play to watch. He won the Heisman for what he did on the field, not for his dedication to NCAA off field rules.
An eraser doesn't change any of that.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter. These awards aren't what make college football what it is. The guys out there on the field are. [Reply]