Back in 2005, Reggie Bush had one of the best seasons for a running back in college football history. Somehow accumulating 1,740 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on just 200 carries, Bush had a ridiculous 8.7 average yards per carry. He even added a punt return touchdown, showing he’s not just a wizard on offense.
It’s no surprise Bush won the Heisman Trophy and helped the USC Trojans reach the National Championship. When the Heisman voting commenced, Bush tallied 784 first-place votes compared to Vince Young’s 79. It was a landslide.
The outcome led to Bush having the second-most first-place votes, and the second-highest total points in Heisman voting history, at the time.
But then, a year later, the NCAA crashed the party and began investigating Bush and USC for violating policies relating to receiving gifts and payments for attending the school. Four years later, the NCAA announced major sanctions against USC, and ruled that Bush have his Heisman Trophy taken away completely.
While college athletes today have the luxury of benefiting from their Name, Image, and Likeness, those regulations were not in place when Bush had his college career. Yet, the NCAA has never gone back on their word, and still witholds Bush’s Heisman Trophy to this day.
Now, it’s gotten to the point where other college football legends are getting involved.
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Johnny Manziel Calls On NCAA To ‘Do The Right Thing’ For Reggie Bush
Johnny Manziel knows a thing or two about being a college football legend. Like Reggie Bush, Manziel also won a Heisman Trophy back in 2012. Now, he’s spending time throwing his support behind the former USC Trojans running back.
Every year when the NCAA awards the new Heisman Trophy winner, they hold a special ceremony celebrating athletes who previously took home the prestigious honor. This means Manziel annually gets a moment in the spotlight, but ever since the NCAA took Bush’s Heisman away, USC’s legend hasn’t been able to enjoy his greatest individual accomplishment at the college level.
Manziel hopes that changes soon, and he’s not alone.
