USC Football: College Phenom and NFL Letdown Joins Cause to Return Reggie Bush's Heisman

Reggie deserves to get back what's his

The Heisman Trophy award is given to the most outstanding college football player of the season. The USC Trojans are no stranger to that award as they have eight Heismna trophy winners. 

Each and every one of them had a season no USC fan will forget, and none may be more memorable than USC star running back Reggie Bush in 2005. Bush was heads and toes above every other college football player that season, showcasing his dynamic skills that transcendent college football forever. 

Many Heisman trophy winners since then have garnered as much or even more noise during their incredible season, including the 2012 winner, college phenom Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M. 

Manziel captured the sport of college football and had it in a strange hold, for better or worse (depends on who you ask). His name has come back up thanks to the recent release of Netflix's "Untold: Johnny Football" documentary. 

The documentary details Johnny's football journey and his rise and fall in the gridiron. In it, he admitted to making money in violation of the NCAA rules during his time as a college athlete. That shined a light on others who were punished for violating similar rules, including Bush, who was the only one severely punished. 

That made many wonder what exactly the difference is between Manziel and Bush and why Manziel has his Heisman and received no significant punishment compared to Bush's situation. 

Manziel wasted no time responding to that tweet by quoting it, taking a stance with Reggie, and elaborating on his situation. 

There is nothing I want to see more than for Reggie to get his Heisman back. I think what the NCAA did in that situation is complete bullshit. 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… https://t.co/W4NWDsW2JL

— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) August 11, 2023

Reggie and USC went through some dark times, and you could argue Reggie still is in regard to his Heisman. After the NCAA placed heavy sanctions on his alma mater over improper benefits he received from a marketing agency during his time at USC, Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman in 2010. 

In addition to that, fourteen wins were vacated, while any mention of Bush was erased or affixed with an asterisk. It wasn't until 2020 that Bush was allowed back on the campus, and that was because of NCAA rules regarding lifetime dissociation bans. It's the sad truth behind Reggie and the NCAA. 

At the time, it was as if Reggie never attended USC, but fans and the people around the university know those aren't memories you could take away. Whatever the Trojans did on the field was fair game, and they made their opponent's lives a nightmare during their dominance in the 2000s. 

Whether they give it back to him or not, we all know he deserved it, and he let his game speak for himself.