Reggie Bush, the former running back and second overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft has filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA.
The history of this lawsuit trails back to Bush’s attempt to reclaim his 2005 Heisman Trophy and clear his records.
In 2010, Bush had to hand over his trophy after an investigation determined that he and his family had accepted benefits.
Benefits like cash, a home in the San Diego area, and travel expenses when he was a collegiate level player.
The law firm McCathern, PLLC, released this statement, "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,".
"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."
"The NCAA knew Mr. Bush was never even accused of, involved in, much less sanctioned for any ‘pay-for-play arrangement’ which never occurred,"
The NCAA has stated that Bush gained improper benefits from a sports marketing agency while being the RB at USC.
The NCAA statement which was released to ESPN and other media organisations stated, "Although college athletes can now receive benefits from their names, images and likenesses through activities like endorsements and appearances, NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements,"
“The NCAA infractions process exists to promote fairness in college sports. The rules that govern fair play are voted on, agreed to and expected to be upheld by all NCAA member schools."
Well, because of the statement from the NCAAA one of the greatest running backs had to disassociate himself from USC for 10 years, until the duration of the ban concluded in 2020.
