Months after getting his 2005 Heisman Trophy reinstated, former USC superstar Reggie Bush is again taking on college football. This time, the running back-turned-broadcaster filed a lawsuit against the university, the Pac-12 and the NCAA.
Bush’s lawsuit claims the three profited “from uncompensated use” of his name, image, and likeness, known as NIL. Star college athletes can make big NIL money today after the NCAA reluctantly changed its rules in 2021 following a loss at the Supreme Court.
During his junior year at USC, Bush rushed for 1,740 yards and 18 total touchdowns on his way to securing the Heisman Trophy. He was also part of the university’s 2004 National Championship team.
But years later, the NCAA ruled Bush received improper benefits as a player and he was stripped of the sport’s greatest award. USC was forced to vacate the 2004 national title and 14 wins associated with Bush.
More recently, rule changes allow athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. At the same time, Bush has become an outspoken critic of the NCAA.
“From day one, you already owned your NIL,” Bush said during an appearance on “All The Smoke.” “It was just that when you got into college football or basketball, now you were stripped of that ability.”
Bush and his legal team are very aware of the implications of his latest lawsuit.
“It’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes,” said Evan Selik, one of Bush’s lawyers. “Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions.”
Retroactive NIL compensation isn’t a farfetched idea. In a proposed settlement for three federal antitrust cases, the NCAA and the power conferences agreed to pay around $2.7 billion over 10 years to athletes involved in the suit who played sports in the five years leading up to NIL rule changes. That settlement is currently on hold as a federal judge called for revisions.
In April of this year, Bush was reunited with his Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trust cited “enormous changes in the college football landscape” as the reason behind the decision. Bush also reunited with USC and his retired jersey, which once again hangs in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
If Bush’s tenacity for getting his award back is any indication, he won’t soon back down on his latest pursuit.
“I’ve always felt like I was gonna get the Heisman Trophy back,” he told Pat McAfee during the NFL Draft in April. “I just didn’t know how long it was gonna take. And it didn’t matter to me how long it took. I was gonna fight. It could have been another 20 years. I was gonna continue to fight for it.”
