Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who joined the Heisman fraternity as a redshirt freshman in 2012 when he won the award in stellar fashion, believes that former USC running back Reggie Bush should have his vacated Heisman returned and recognized.
“There is nothing I want to see more than for Reggie to get his Heisman back,” Manziel posted on social media on Friday. “I think what the NCAA did in that situation is complete bulls---. He is one of the best college football players in history and deserves to be on that stage with us every year. The only difference between my story and Reggie’s is that my ‘illegal activities’ did not start until after my Heisman season.”
The “illegal activities” that got Bush’s Heisman vacated were allegations of the running back receiving impermissible benefits from a marketing agency during his playing days with the Trojans. This, of course, was in a pre-NIL era where players getting paid for marketing themselves was “illegal” per the NCAA and jeopardized athletes’ amateur status if they were to get caught.
Bush’s actions that got him, as well as USC, into hot water with the NCAA would be perfectly legal today with NIL legislation. It’s unfortunate that Bush’s Heisman is not recognized by the NCAA or the Heisman Trust, as Bush is one of the most electrifying college football players in the history of the sport.
Bush earned 784 of the 892 possible first-place votes when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2005 over teammate Matt Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young.
Bush rushed for 1,740 yards on 8.7 yards per carry with 16 touchdowns that season. He also caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two scores, proving his worth as a dual-threat back en route to a Heisman rout.
Perhaps he’ll eventually have his trophy reinstated, but doesn’t appear that it will happen anytime soon.
