Reggie Bush will NOT get his 2005 Heisman Trophy back after being paid when he was a college athlete as his lawyer slams NCAA for 'sham investigation'
Former NFL star Reggie Bush will remain a Heisman hopeful after the NCAA ruled his 2005 trophy will remain vacated due to benefits violations in place during his eligibility at Southern Cal.
As Name, Image and Likeness bylaws were approved earlier this month, Bush made a plea to the Heisman Trust to restore the 2005 Heisman Trophy and career records with the Trojans.
'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 said in a statement to ESPN.
'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.'
Former NFL star Reggie Bush will remain a Heisman hopeful after the NCAA ruled his 2005 trophy will remain vacated due to benefits violations in place during his eligibility at Southern Cal. Following a 2010 investigation, the NCAA ruled Bush accepted cash and other improper benefits from USC, which also furnished his parents with an apartment and spending allowance. USC also lost scholarships and vacated the 2004 BCS national title
Bush runs the ball during a Pac-10 NCAA football game against the Stanford Cardinal
Bush's attorney, Alex Spiro, slammed the decision in a statement that referenced Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's opinion in the recent NCAA v. Alston case that struck down rules limiting compensation for athletes.
'The bottom line is that the NCAA and its member colleges are suppressing the pay of student athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in revenues for colleges every year,' Kavanaugh wrote.
'Those enormous sums of money flow to seemingly everyone except the student athletes. College presidents, athletic directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives take in six- and seven-figure salaries. Colleges build lavish new facilities. But the student athletes who generate the revenues, many of whom are African American and from lower-income backgrounds, end up with little or nothing.'
Bush's attorney, Alex Spiro, slammed the decision in a statement that referenced Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's opinion in the recent NCAA v. Alston case that struck down rules limiting compensation for athletes. 'The bottom line is that the NCAA and its member colleges are suppressing the pay of student athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in revenues for colleges every year,' Kavanaugh wrote
Spiro, of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, wrote that the NCAA is doubling down 'on its decade-plus draconian penalty of a teenage kid who had his award taken based upon a sham investigation.'
'You have to wonder if profiting from kids for this long has clouded the NCAAs judgment as to why we have student athletics in the first place,' Spiro added in a statement provided to DailyMail.com.
Following a 2010 investigation, the NCAA ruled Bush accepted cash and other improper benefits from USC, which also furnished his parents with an apartment and spending allowance.
USC also lost scholarships and vacated the 2004 BCS national title.
The Heisman Trust operates independently of the NCAA and pushed the decision to the college sports governing body.
'Bush's 2005 season records remain vacated by the NCAA and, as a result, under the rule set forth by the Heisman Trust and stated on the Heisman Ballot, he is not eligible to be awarded the 2005 Heisman Memorial Trophy,' the statement said.
Bush attorney Alex Spiro wrote that the NCAA is doubling down 'on its decade-plus draconian penalty of a teenage kid who had his award taken based upon a sham investigation.'