Reggie Bush Plans To Sue The NCAA For Defamation That Led To Heisman Being Revoked

Reggie Bush was once the star quarterback of a highly successful University of Southern California football team that made history. With Bush leading the way, the Trojans secured two national championships and a 37-2 record throughout three seasons.

However, for the last 13 years, the 38-year-old one-time national hero has been fighting the NCAA after being accused of receiving pay-for-play benefits from a sports marketing agent in 2006 and was subsequently stripped of his Heisman Trophy. Now, Bush is prepared to take on the world’s leading collegiate sports governing body to clear his name and restore his legacy.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the former quarterback will announce plans to sue the NCAA for defamation at the Coliseum—where he once dazzled crowds—-on Wednesday, Aug. 23. “The lawsuit is based on the NCAA maliciously attacking his character through a completely false and highly offensive statement that was widely reported in the media and substantially and irreparably damaged his reputation,” Bush’s attorneys Levi G. McCathern and Ty M. Sheaks said in a statement. “Specifically, on July 28, 2021, the NCAA … falsely issued a statement to reporters that because of Mr. Bush’s prior involvement in a ‘pay-for-play arrangement,’ the NCAA would not consider restoring his collegiate records that it vacated in 2010, which subsequently resulted in Mr. Bush having to return his Heisman Trophy [the first player in history to do so]. Within less than a day, this false statement was republished by no less than 20 different media organizations and circulated to readers around the world.”

Since 2010, Bush has remained relatively mum about the NCAA’s treatment of him and his teammates, whose records were also affected by proxy. However, with new NIL deals and less strict collegiate rules taking effect in recent years, calls for Bush’s case to be reexamined have come from all across the association and other sports professionals. “The NCAA knew Mr. Bush was never even accused of, involved in, much less sanctioned for any ‘pay-for-play arrangement’ which never occurred,” Bush’s attorneys said.