Reggie Bush To Sue NCAA Over Defamation

Reggie Bush, a former running back at USC, will declare on Wednesday morning that he intends to sue the National Collegiate Athletics Association for defamation after they claimed he got illicit perks in a “pay-to-play” system.

Reggie Bush To Sue NCAA Over Defamation

Bush will announce the lawsuit during a news conference on Wednesday morning at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Bush won the Heisman Trophy in 2005, but after an NCAA investigation revealed that he and his family had accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from a sports agent, he had to give up the prize in 2010. The Heisman Trophy Trust has said that Bush was ineligible to earn the 2005 trophy since his collegiate records from late 2004 onward were nullified and there was no winner that year.

“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 lawyers Levi G. McCathern and Ty M. Sheaks stated 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. 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.”

NCAA players were not permitted to make money off of their name, likeness, or image at the time Bush played for USC. After that changed in 2021, Bush has sought to have both his numbers and the Heisman Trophy reinstated. In response to inquiries from the media regarding Bush’s attempts to get his statistics and participation reinstated, the NCAA released a statement in July of that year.

According to the NCAA statement Bush is basing his complaint on,

“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,” an NCAA spokesperson said at the time. “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.”

Given the contemporary era of collegiate athletics, when ‘pay for play’ is now permissible, many people think Bush should have his Heisman Trophy restored and returned.

Bush, a two-time national champion with USC (2003–04), requested that his records be restored in 2021 as a result of newly enacted name, image, and likeness legislation that let collegiate athletes to receive payments from outside sources.

 

 

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