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Reggie Bush goes after the NCAA. The former USC star working again and two-time All-American filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday stemming from a 2021 observation made via an NCAA spokesperson claiming Bush was once involved in a “pay-for-play arrangement,” Bush and his attorneys introduced.
“Most recently, the NCAA has made a statement about me, accusing me of engaging in a pay-for-play arrangement, which is 100% not true,” Bush mentioned in a press convention Wednesday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “Not only is it not true, but there is no evidence to even support that claim.”
Bush, who racked up 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns in 3 seasons with the Trojans, had his 2005 Heisman Trophy vacated — forfeited on his finish in 2010 — and his collegiate data wiped following a high-profile NCAA investigation that decided he and his members of the family won impermissible advantages — together with money, shuttle bills and a San Diego house — whilst Bush performed in school.
A two-time nationwide champion with USC (2003-04), Bush sought to have his Heisman returned and his data restored in 2021 amid newly carried out title, symbol and likeness regulations that permit school athletes to be paid via 3rd events.
The Heisman Trust mentioned it could welcome Bush again into its circle of relatives if the NCAA reinstated his data from the 2005 season. Heisman eligibility necessities state that recipients “must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete.”
The NCAA has declined to rethink Bush’s case, announcing it does no longer reevaluate previous consequences. In explaining the affiliation’s choice, an NCAA spokesperson discussed “pay-for-play arrangements” in a observation to ESPN:
“Although college athletes can now receive benefits from their names, images and likenesses through activities like endorsements and appearances, NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements. The NCAA infractions process exists to promote fairness in college sports. The rules that govern fair play are voted on, agreed to and expected to be upheld by all NCAA member schools.”
It is that claim of “pay-for-play arrangements” that has triggered Bush’s defamation lawsuit. Bush mentioned the case is “about truth, getting the facts out and holding the NCAA accountable.”
“I’ve got dreams of coming back into this stadium and running out of that tunnel with the football team,” Bush mentioned Wednesday. “I’ve got dreams of walking back in here and seeing my jersey and my banner right down there next to the rest of the Heisman Trophy winners. But I can’t rightfully do that without my Heisman Trophy.”
The NCAA in 2021 settled a decade-long defamation lawsuit with Bush’s former place trainer, Todd McNair, for his function in the infractions case. USC was once pressured to disassociate from Bush for a length of 10 years that ended in 2020.
Bush’s attorneys have additionally introduced a web based petition aimed on the NCAA “to restore Reggie Bush’s collegiate records so he can reclaim his Heisman Trophy.” The petition’s objective is to garner 10,000 signatures.