Johnny Manziel: Reggie Bush deserves to have Heisman Trophy reinstated
Johnny Manziel absolutely wants to see Reggie Bush get his Heisman Trophy back.
This week, Manziel sat down with Shannon Sharpe for a full-length interview for Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay.” The two tackled a number of topics ranging from Manziel’s time at Texas A&M and the “Mt. Rushmore” for high school quarterbacks in Texas. Along the way, Sharpe asked Manziel about Bush’s vacated Heisman Trophy.
“Without a doubt,” said Manziel about Bush getting his Heisman back. “It’s legal now. What Reggie did then is legal now that somebody could do. It wouldn’t make him ineligible now even though it did at the time. In the grand scheme of things, I probably did things way worse than Reggie.”
Manziel went on to explain that there are others within the Heisman fraternity who do not like the fact Bush is not included in the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony. He made the case for Bush as one of the all-time great performers in college football history and said the ex-USC star deserves to be included.
“There’s chatter, there’s chirp going around. Nobody in this group, in this Heisman fraternity does it sit right with us that Reggie ain’t up there with us every year,” Manziel explained. “…He deserves to be on that stage with us. Unequivocally. Without a doubt.”
Can Bush get his Heisman back?
Though there appears to be a growing wave of individuals calling for Bush’s Heisman reinstatement, Manziel claims the final decision rests with the NCAA opting to reinstate Bush’s on-field stats. Sharpe and Manziel shared a similar thought that it is “not looking likely” the NCAA will “do the right thing.”
“What I’ve been told is that Reggie can’t get his Heisman back until the NCAA makes his records and his accolades on the field for that year reinstated,” said Manziel. “As we know what the NCAA is now, what do you think the chances are they’re going to do the right thing? Not looking likely, and it’s sad… They’ve been so wrong on so many things that you would hope they would one day do the right thing and do this.”
Reggie deserves to be on that stage every year. It’s not even up for debate @ReggieBush https://t.co/wQiwhpNsn5
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 23, 2024