The Heisman Trust announced Wednesday that it is returning the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush, who won the award in 2005 while playing for USC.
The trust has decided on a formal “reinstatement” of the trophy to the Helix High alum in response to what it calls “enormous changes in the college football landscape.”
Bush, who went on to play in the NFL for 11 seasons, forfeited the Heisman in 2010 after the NCAA issued sanctions against USC. Authorities determined that Bush received improper benefits from the university during his college career from 2003 to 2005.
The Heisman Trust will return the trophy to Bush and a replica to USC. The Heisman website lists his name again among winners of the award – it had been omitted before.
The former running back also will be allowed to participate in all future Heisman Trophy ceremonies beginning this year.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush said in a statement to ESPN. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
Bush was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 18 touchdowns in the 2005 college football season. He received 784 first-place votes in the 2005 Heisman Trophy campaign, the fifth-most in Heisman Trophy history, and led USC to a national title.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” said Michael Comerford, president of the Heisman Trophy Trust. “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.”
A 10-year ban for Bush from associating with USC ended in 2020, and the university welcomed Bush back to the fold. Initially, however, did not have his Heisman win restored – an NCAA decision, according to reports.
– City News Service
