Don Yaeger Interviews about Reggie Bush
Will Reggie Bush become the first Heisman Trophy winner ever asked to return his award?
Jim Henry Senior NCAA Writer Fanhouse.com
The Heisman Trophy Trust -- protector of what many believe is the most famous sports trophy in America -- may face that unprecedented decision based on penalties that are expected to be handed down by the NCAA on Thursday.
Former Heisman Trophy winners Ty Detmer and Chris Weinke certainly understand the award's significance and the debate surrounding Bush.
"You are always known as a Heisman winner for the rest of your life, and it does change your life quite dramatically," Detmer, the 1990 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Brigham Young University, told FanHouse Thursday.
The fallout from the NCAA's ruling could be just as dramatic. The NCAA handed USC a two-year postseason football ban and the football team must vacate all wins in which Bush played while ineligible, starting in December 2004.
Bush, a running back with the New Orleans Saints, has not met with NCAA and Pac-10 investigators and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
"I have a great love for the University of Southern California and I very much regret the turn that this matter has taken, not only for USC, but for the fans and players," Bush said in a statement.
"I am disappointed by [Thursday's] decision and disagree with the NCAA's findings. If the University decides to appeal, I will continue to cooperate with the NCAA and USC, as I did during the investigation. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on making a positive impact for the University and for the community where I live," Bush said.
In the early 1980s, the Downtown Athletic Club board of directors, keepers of the Heisman Trophy at that time, agreed to a provision that allowed for the trophy to be recalled if a player was penalized by the NCAA (committed a serious violation during his Heisman season).
There has never been a serious possibility that clause could come into play. Until possibly now.
In its instructions to voters, the Heisman Trust includes the reminder that the Heisman "recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete."
The Heisman Trophy Trust, directed by president William Dockery, a New York attorney, and seven other members, meets on the second Tuesday of every month.
"I don't know if there's a tougher decision that those guys will ever have to make if it comes to that," Weinke, the 2000 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Florida State, told FanHouse Thursday morning.
"I don't envy those guys at all. There's rules in place that are supposed to be followed. Part of keeping the integrity of the trophy is also staying within the guidelines and the rules of college football. It's just a tough situation to be in.
"The things Reggie did on the field and what he did for college football was amazing; he was the best player in college football that year and that's why he won the trophy. I can't speak on the behalf on any details because I don't know them, but you never want to see one of your guys from your fraternity to have to go through something like this. I feel for him."
Detmer, 42, a high school football coach in Austin, Tex., doesn't believe Bush should be stripped of his award regardless of the NCAA's rulings. The NCAA probe into the Bush case began in March 2006.
In their football investigation, the NCAA and investigators from the Pac-10 Conference tried to determine whether Bush and his parents took improper benefits, including an alleged rent-free residence provided by a sports marketer.
"He was a great player and did some awesome things on the field," Detmer said.
"I don't condone what was being done (off the field) but at the same time he won an award for his play on the field and it wouldn't bother me to see him keep it. I can certainly understand if they did decide to go back and pull it because maybe he should have been ineligible. I can see both sides of it. Him receiving money had nothing to do with him playing football.
"For me, I've never been that type of person to go back and strip things and take things away from people."
Weinke, director of the Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has complete faith in the Heisman Trust. The board, which consists of lawyers, executives and even one prominent artist, likely would require six of eight votes to vacate Bush's trophy.
"I can tell you firsthand the Heisman Trophy Trust has done a great job of keeping the integrity of the trophy and what it stands for," Weinke said.
"There's plenty of marketing opportunities to make money but they pass on a lot of them to keep the integrity of the trophy and what it stands for and what it represents. That's why many say it's the biggest individual trophy in all of sports.
"We talk about it all the time. The trophy doesn't just stand for what you accomplished on the field but it's what the individual stands for off the field. It puts all of us, especially the Trust, in a tough situation."