Former USC star Reggie Bush reinstated as 2005 Heisman Trophy winner

NEW YORK (AP) — Reggie Bush has been reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner greater than a decade after Southern California returned the award following an NCAA investigation that found he received impermissible advantages while working with the Trojans, the Heisman Trust announced Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his achievements at the university,” said Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust. “We have considered the tremendous changes in college athletics over the last few years, deciding that now is the right time to bring back the Reggie Trophy. We are very happy to welcome him back.”

Bush won the trophy given to varsity football’s best player after gaining greater than 2,000 rushing yards and scoring 18 touchdowns in 2005. His 784 first-place votes were the fifth-most in Heisman history.

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The Heisman Trust returned the trophy to Bush and the replica to USC. Bush might be invited to all future Heisman Trophy ceremonies.

The trust said in an announcement that its decision was the results of a “deliberate process” that closely monitored changes in the faculty football landscape. This included a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision that questioned the legality of the NCAA’s amateurism model and opened the door to athlete compensation; the flexibility to pay college football players for his or her name, image and likeness; and the NCAA’s recent proposal to remove the cap on education-related payments.

“Recognizing that compensating student-athletes is accepted practice and appears likely to remain so, these fundamental changes in college athletics have led the Trust to decide that now is the appropriate time to return the trophy to Bush, who was undoubtedly the most outstanding college football player of the year 2005,” the Trust said.