The NCAA rejected Reggie Bush's request to reconsider penalties levied against the USC football program -- as part of Bush's effort to regain his Heisman Trophy -- because he was "not an involved individual" in the landmark case, CBS Sports has learned.
In a 2022 letter from the NCAA to Bush's legal team, obtained by CBS Sports, the NCAA Committee on Infractions explained to Bush, "... you were never officially charged by the NCAA enforcement staff" in the 2010 case.
The letter clarifies to Bush that the sanctions were "an institutional penalty. Therefore, you do not have standing to seek reconsideration. Your request is therefore denied." The letter goes on to explain that the committee's decision is final. A similar request was denied in 2023.
The Heisman Trust told Bush it will not evaluate potentially returning the 2005 trophy he voluntarily surrendered in 2010 until the NCAA reconsiders penalties against USC.
Bush is not mentioned by name in the USC public infractions report despite the program being forced to vacate statistics and school records achieved by the running back "in which [he] competed while ineligible," according to the NCAA. The NCAA itself said the case was "centered" around impermissible benefits given to "student-athlete 1," who is largely assumed to be Bush. "Student-athlete 1" is mentioned 340 times in the 67-page report.
Penalties levied following four-year NCAA investigation included USC receiving a two-year postseason ban and being docked 30 scholarships. The school was forced to vacate 14 wins in which Bush played. Bush was also disassociated from USC for a 10-year period, which ended in 2020.
Bush continues to push for the return of his 2005 Heisman.
College sports' player compensation climate changed in July 2021 when name, image and likeness laws would have allowed many of the impermissible benefits that were deemed against the rules in the USC case.
Bush sued the NCAA for defamation in August 2023, arguing that his character was maliciously attacked by the association's statement. Regarding that case, a reporter asked whether the NCAA would reconsider the sanctions given its new NIL guidelines. An NCAA spokesman said, "NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements."
Shortly after the NCAA instituted NIL in 2021, the Heisman Trust released a statement: "Should the NCAA reinstate Bush's 2005 status, the Heisman Trust looks forward to welcoming him back to the Heisman family."
Bush's quest to regain his Heisman recently resurfaced through social media. 2012 Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and legendary college basketball coach Rick Pitino both supported Bush's efforts.
After careful thought and consideration I will be humbly removing myself from the Heisman trophy ceremony until @ReggieBush gets his trophy back. Doesn’t sit right with my morals and values that he can’t be on that stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman trophy.
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) March 2, 2024
Do the…
.@ReggieBush should get his Heisman back. This is one of the most hypocritical moves of all time. Stop this injustice now n give the man his rightful due
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) March 2, 2024
Manziel has attended the Heisman ceremony just once since he won the trophy in 2012. The former Texas A&M star quarterback was suspended for the first half of the 2013 season opener for allegedly accepting money in exchange for autographs.
"The NCAA, in my opinion, is trying to run from this," Bush told reporters in December. "I feel like now I was framed. How did USC receive this massive penalty with no factual proof behind it?"
In the June 2022 letter, the NCAA said that Bush did not receive a notice of allegations, and as such, was not "at risk" for individual penalties.
"Therefore, because you are not a party to the case, you do not have standing to request consideration of the vacation of records penalty," states the letter as directed to Bush.
The letter also clarifies that the committee did not require Bush to give up the Heisman, concluding, "The Heisman Trust is free to restore your award independent of the COI's decision."
The NCAA said reconsideration of penalties is "only available" to institutions and involved individuals.
Bush returned his 2005 trophy to the Heisman Trust after sanctions were levied against USC. The Trust's standing on Bush has not changed, a Heisman spokesman said.
"If you remember, it was about a year that I didn't give it back," Bush said. "It was almost like [I] was on the run. I shouldn't have given it back. It wasn't until they started talking about filing a lawsuit against me for not returning the Heisman. They started throwing things around in the media like that. I was scared, 21 years old. The world and the NCAA, it felt like, was against me."
In July 2021, former USC running backs coach Todd McNair settled a separate defamation lawsuit against the NCAA stemming from the original investigation. Bush told reporters that settlement figure was $8 million.
