NCAA Rule Could Lead to Reggie Bush’s Return to USC

Reggie Bush is a USC Trojans legend. But for the last ten
years, the former Heisman Trophy winning running back has been banned from his
alma mater.

The NCAA investigated Bush and the USC program in 2010, and imposed sanctions on the university and Bush personally after it was determined that he and his family members had received extra benefits while he was a student athlete. Among the improper benefits Bush and his family reportedly received were cash, travel expenses, and a rental home in the San Diego area.

Bush had to relinquish his Heisman Trophy and the university
football program had to vacate all of their winnings during the running back’s
tenure (including the 2004 BCS National Championship). In addition, the Trojans
lost over 30 scholarships and were ineligible for the postseason for two years.
As part of the sanctions, Bush and USC had to disassociate from each other and
he was no longer allowed on campus or to be involved with the Trojans’ football
program.

“It was a horrible feeling, one of the worst feelings in the world,” Bush told The Athletic in May. “I felt like I died when I had to hear that there weren’t gonna be scholarships for kids because of me or because of something connected to me.”

However, thanks to a new NCAA rule, Bush could return to USC
later this week. The rule is known as the NCAA Committee on Infractions rule,
and it was adopted in 2017. Within the language of the rule, it states that
there are mandated limits on disassociation between an individual and a school
at 10 years. The sanctions began on June 10, 2010.

According to the rule, once the 10-year period is complete,
the NCAA will no longer “monitor or enforce” the disassociation between
the player and the university. That means USC has the liberty to decide whether
they want to continue the disassociation with Bush, or welcome him back to the
program.

There has been no official word from USC confirming that they will end their disassociation with Bush, but sources told ESPN that the university is expected to end it very soon.

Despite the disassociation, Bush returned to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in September as part of the Fox Sports broadcast team when the Trojans hosted the Utah Utes. Bush received a warm welcome during that game as reported by NBC LA at the time.

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The Citizen