New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush announced today that he is forfeiting his 2005 title as a Heisman Trophy winner. This brings to an end a messy scandal involving major NCAA violations in 2004 and 2005, while he was part of the USC Trojan football program.
USC NCAA SANCTION DETAILS AND PHOTOS
Bush made his decision at an opportune time. The Heisman Trophy Trust, who conducted their own independent inquiry, was prepared to strip the athlete of his award by the end of September, an unprecedented decision in the 75-year history of the award.
In a statement released through the Saints organization Bush said: “Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name … It is for these reasons that I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005.”
He went on to say: “The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting. In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award, nor on any other institutions or individuals.”
A short while later, Reggie ‘tweeted’: “Now that this is behind me I look forward to the future and winning more awards and championships here in New Orleans! Who Dat!”
Check out an AP video report below: