Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty
Former University of Southern California Trojans starReggie Bushmade a public plea for his Heisman Trophy to be returned on Thursday.
Bush made the request shortly after the NCAA approved an interim policy that allows athletes to profit from the use of their name, image, and likeness. The policy went into effect on July 1, according toCNBC.
The 36-year-old famously forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy — which is awarded annually to the most outstanding college football player — after an investigation found he received improper benefits as a student-athlete while attending the school. According toESPN, Bush and his relatives accepted money and travel expenses. His parents were also given a home in Southern California where they lived rent-free for more than a year and were provided with $10,000 to furnish it.
Neither the NCAA nor the Heisman Trophy Trust immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In 2010, USC lost 30 football scholarships over three years as a result of the inquiry, and also vacated 14 victories that Bush played a part in from 2004 to 2005,NPRreported at the time.
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“It is my strong belief that I won the Heisman trophy ‘solely’ due to my hard work and dedication on the football field and it is also my firm belief that my records should be reinstated,” Bush — who famously datedKim Kardashianyears ago — said in astatementposted to social media.
In his statement, Bush said he and representatives have reached out to the NCAA and the Heisman Trophy Trust to start a dialogue about his reinstatement.
“We left multiple messages for Michael Comerford, the president of the Heisman Trust,” Bush explained, “but instead received a call from Rob Whalen, the executive director, who stated that Mr. Comerford would not be calling us back and that, in any event, they could not help us.”
AsCBS Newsnotes, the gifts and cash Bush and his family received were worth more than $100,000.
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A day before the NCAA enacted the new policy,Johnny Manziel— the embattled former college quarterback who played at Texas A&M and won a Heisman of his own — threw his support behind Bush.
“Give Reggie Bush his Heisman back while we’re at it,” Manzieltweeted.
source: people.com
