Billboard campaign to reinstate Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy launched across Los Angeles
Reggie Bush put together one of the all-time great performances in college football history during the 2005 season. As a result, Bush captured the Heisman Trophy in a landslide vote over Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn.
Unfortunately, Bush eventually forfeited his title due to NCAA sanctions leveled against USC related to gifts and benefits he received during his time with the Trojans.
Many have since called for Bush’s Heisman win to be reinstated by the NCAA, and that chatter has grown even louder in recent seasons. With the introduction of legal NIL ventures across the country, it is hard to justify keeping Bush’s Heisman withheld.
With that in mind, Ryan Kartje with the LA Times reported Wednesday evening that a dozen billboards have been put up across Los Angeles imploring the NCAA to return Bush’s Heisman. Kartje noted the billboard campaign was produced by longtime donor Brian Kennedy without Bush’s knowledge of the billboards.
A dozen billboards demanding the return of Reggie Bush’s Heisman have sprouted up across L.A. today.
The campaign is courtesy of longtime donor Brian Kennedy, who told @latimes that Bush had no idea the billboards were going up. pic.twitter.com/tZMlWYc2Sw
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) April 26, 2023
Kartje went on to clarify the Heisman Trust does hold the ultimate ruling on reinstating the Heisman, but the Heisman Trust has claimed it cannot reinstate the award without the NCAA reinstating the record of Reggie from the 2005 season that was stripped due to sanctions.
The Heisman Trust ultimately decides on returning Reggie’s Heisman, but the Trust has said it can’t unless the NCAA reinstates the record of Reggie in 2005 that was stripped with the sanctions.
Reggie himself can’t apply for reinstatement since he *technically* wasn’t sanctioned https://t.co/gPJmZIrYTy
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) April 26, 2023
We’ll see if anything becomes of Bush’s Heisman, but it sure feels like past time to put this matter in the past.