Bush sued the NCAA for defamation in August 2023, arguing that his character was maliciously attacked with the association's assertion.
"It can be my solid perception which i won the Heisman trophy 'only' as a consequence of my hard work and commitment about the football area and It is additionally my business perception that my information needs to be reinstated," Bush mentioned.
"What Reggie did then is authorized now that someone could do, suitable?" Manziel stated. "It would not make him ineligible now, While it did at the time. And inside the grand plan of things, I probably did way even worse than Reggie."
It would be challenging, then, for Bush to demonstrate that malice standard While using the NCAA’s “pay back-for-Engage in” remark, Ring mentioned. But this situation is about over easy defamation, as just about every attorney pointed out. It’s about cracking open a sealed record box to re-Consider the NCAA’s original findings.
[ninety six] Given that he came into your league, no running back has caught a lot more passes out of the backfield than Bush, who gathered 171 receptions in his 1st two several years. On Oct six, in a home sport in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings, he returned two punts for touchdowns and nearly had a 3rd, tying an NFL file for solitary-activity punt returns for touchdowns and becoming the 12th player to do so. In a house match towards the Oakland Raiders on October 12, Bush tied the NFL history for quickest time for you to his 200th catch, doing so in just 34 video games.[ninety seven][ninety eight]
"I here guess which is it's possible what on earth is kind of Bizarre is he's however a Heisman winner while in the eyes in the Heisman Rely on. And the fact that Reggie isn't really is simply silly at this point.
When asked with regards to their prepared response to Bush’s suit and self esteem within their initial investigation, the NCAA declined to comment for this story.
The filing also calls the NCAA’s investigation into USC “fatally flawed” and suggests that its findings do not help the NCAA’s “false statement that Mr. Bush accepted payment in return for agreeing to Enjoy soccer at USC.”
"I have acquired goals of strolling back again in below and looking at my jersey, my banner, appropriate down there beside the remainder of the Heisman Trophy winners. But I can not rightfully do this devoid of my Heisman Trophy."
Originally, the dissociation was meant being long-lasting, but a 2017 rule change meant that the Trojans could reunite with a single of their most iconic players soon after ten years.
” The NCAA could assert that if Bush believes the belief should return the trophy, he must take into consideration lawful motion against the trust.
“It just takes the situation that, ‘We haven’t performed anything at all Completely wrong, we’re correct, and thus we’re intending to litigate this until the final Pet is lifeless,’” Mars stated.
Bush is not really stated by name in the USC public infractions report Inspite of the program remaining pressured to vacate statistics and school documents accomplished with the running again "by which [he] competed even though ineligible," in accordance with the NCAA.
The Trust not acknowledges Bush being a Heisman winner which is secretive about the trophy’s place. Henning mentioned the trophy has neither been wrecked nor reissued — fairly, it’s within a storage unit during the Ny city space, together with portraits and valuables the Trust no longer had home for when it moved within the Downtown Athletic Club.