Due to an evolving landscape in college football, the Heisman Trust is set to return the 2005 Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy in his final season at Southern California, where he amassed 3,169 rushing yards, gained 1,301 receiving yards and returned kickoffs and punts for a combined 2,081 yards. He totaled 42 touchdowns and also threw a 52-yard touchdown pass.
According to ESPN, the physical trophy is being returned to Bush by the trust and a replica will be returned to USC.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush said in a statement to ESPN. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
In 2005, Bush was named first-team All-American and the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year.
But he was stripped of his Heisman and his stats in 2010 after a four-year investigation by the NCAA showed that Bush and his family took improper financial benefits, including cash and paid-for housing.
When name, image and likeness legislation was enacted in 2021, Bush asked the NCAA to reinstate his status. The Heisman Trust said at the time it would consider giving back his trophy if the NCAA agreed to reinstate him, but the organization declined.
In part due to a 2021 Supreme Court decision that questions the legality of the amateurism model, the Heisman Trust said it was forced to reconsider “reinstating” the 2005 award and welcoming Bush back to the annual award ceremony. Fellow Heisman winners, most recently former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Notre Dame wide receiver Tim Brown, said they would skip future ceremonies unless Bush got his trophy back.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” said Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust, in a statement to ESPN. “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.”
