Reggie Bush was by far the best and most dominant player during the 2005 college football season. The USC football star won the Heisman Trophy, but it was later taken away because of violations that the Trojans committed in regards to Bush. A lot of people have been wanting the Heisman Trust to give Bush his Heisman back, and one of those people is Johnny Manziel. Manziel is a Heisman winner as well, and on Wednesday, Bush got his trophy back.
Johnny Manziel is another Heisman winner that had some problems with the NCAA, but he never lost his trophy. Reggie Bush did, and because of that, Manziel has always voiced his support for Bush and he has always advocated for him to get his Heisman back. That has finally happened, and Manziel is fired up about it.
“Thank you to the @HeismanTrophy for doing what’s right and welcoming a storied member of our history back into the fold,” Manziel said in a tweet. “There were many voices throughout this process that stood on the table for Reggie simply because of the kind of human being he is. I look forward to being on that stage with you this December @ReggieBush you deserve it.”
Now that players are allowed to make money from NIL, the Heisman Trust realized that what happened with Bush would've been legal in today's game. Bush and Manziel both made some money during their college football days, but it was done a little bit differently than it is done now.
Reggie Bush was a very fun player to watch during that 2005 season and he was nearly unstoppable for opposing defenses. Bush was a do-it-all back for USC and he finished that 2005 season with 1,740 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, but he also caught 37 passes for 478 yards with two receiving scores. The Trojans had a great season but came up a little short in the national title game against Texas. Bush still had a great season, though, and Manziel wants to relive it.
“If you guys need anything from me today I’ll be watching ‘05 Reggie Bush highlights on repeat,” Manziel said in another tweet.
Will this decision affect other sports?
This was a huge move by the Heisman Trust and one that now has fans asking for other changes to be made because of new rules. The changing landscape of college sports, and sports in general, not only has an effect on today's game, but it has an effect on the past as well. Could we see other changes like this in the future?
A perfect example would be Armando Galarraga's perfect game for the Detroit Tigers. Notice how that says perfect game, not near perfect game? That's because reviews are a thing in baseball now and if that game happened today, Galarraga would've had a perfect game.
With two outs in the ninth inning, Galarraga helped make the final out at first base of what should've been a perfect game. The runner was called safe, but it was 100% clear in the replay that the runner was out. No one, not even the umpire that incorrectly made the call, debates that. The play wasn't reviewable, so the play stood. Galarraga got the next batter out and the game was over.
That's a perfect example of something else that fans want to see change. Reggie Bush deservedly got his Heisman Trophy back, and it'll be interesting to see if this decision creates any kind of ripple effect.
Follow Us
Subscribe