# USC to give back Bush's Heisman Trophy \[Update April 2024: Trophy returned to Bush\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388 "2010-07-20T20:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/1 "2010-07-20T20:36:04Z")
[USA Today Story here](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/usc-reggie-bush-heisman-trophy/1) > [@](#): > > The Trojan family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes. Accordingly, I have instructed the senior vice president for administration to remove athletic jerseys and murals displayed in recognition of O.J. Mayo and Reggie Bush by mid-August – before the incoming class of students moves on campus – from Heritage Hall, the Galen Center and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The university also will return Mr. Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust in August. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/2 "2010-07-20T22:32:46Z")
Does anyone really care? What happened to the Death Penalty that said goodbye to SMU? That’s what USC deserved, but money will never allow a program to go away like SMU’s did. Vacating wins and giving back trophies makes no sense to me. When I think of Reggie Bush, I’ll think Heisman winner. He was great. And the team that had to vacate the wins and lose a national championship will never be thought of as an 0-11 team. It’s a vacant gesture. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/3 "2010-07-20T22:38:12Z")
Money. Everybody get some except the players. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/4 "2010-07-21T11:19:39Z")
I’m not clear on something- to whom does a Heisman belong? The player who wins it or his school? IF it belongs to the school, well, then USC can do as they want with the trophy. But IF Reggie Bush gave his Heisman to USC as a nice gesture, where does USC come off giving it back to the Downtown Athletic Club? Shouldn’t they give it to REGGIE, until such time as the DAC decides to rescind it? Beyond that, I’ll be more impressed when USC refunds the money it made from Reggie Bush T-shirts and ticket sales during the Reggie Bush era. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/5 "2010-07-21T12:09:13Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’m not clear on something- to whom does a Heisman belong? The player who wins it or his school? > > IF it belongs to the school, well, then USC can do as they want with the trophy. > > But IF Reggie Bush gave his Heisman to USC as a nice gesture, where does USC come off giving it back to the Downtown Athletic Club? Shouldn’t they give it to REGGIE, until such time as the DAC decides to rescind it? Both the school and the athelete receive trophies. The school’s is considered a “replica” and the athlete has the "original’. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/6 "2010-07-21T12:20:14Z")
So the college loses its trophy for having “bought” the the trophy winner but he keeps his because he was still the player he was. Makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/7 "2010-07-21T19:18:52Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Both the school and the athelete receive trophies. The school’s is considered a “replica” and the athlete has the "original’. Thanks for clearing that up! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/8 "2010-07-21T19:24:56Z")
So this was a decision by USC, not the Downtown Athletic Club. Have they commented yet? Also, since USC is going to only “honor and respect the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes” are they going to fire Lane Kiffin? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/9 "2010-07-21T19:32:20Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > So this was a decision by USC, not the Downtown Athletic Club. Have they commented yet? [Not really.](http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=5398479) The revenue hit to USC from the loss of the bowl games and scholarships might be meaningful. And the school finally did get around to firing their athletic director, which should have happened earlier. But changing their record is meaningless. What should happen in cases like this is that the coaches and athletic directors who let the violations happen should be barred from employment at NCAA schools at least for a set period of years. Pete Carroll is in the NFL now anyway right now, but NFL careers tend to be shorter than college ones (certainly Pete Carroll’s have been) and sooner or later he’ll be offered a major college job again. It would be better if he were barred for 10 years or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/10 "2010-07-22T17:19:23Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The revenue hit to USC from the loss of the bowl games … might be meaningful. Just how much revenue would USC 'reall’y be losing by not playing in bowl games. Don’t they share their bowl revenue with the other PAC-10 (11?) (12?) members? And vice versa. USC will still be getting bowl revenue when Cal, Oregon, Arizona etc. play in bowl games. If the PAC10 really wanted to make a financial impact on USC, they would cut the revenue sharing with USC. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/11 "2010-07-22T18:02:17Z")
I don’t know how much revenue they may lose. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/12 "2010-09-15T03:31:47Z")
[Bush, too.](http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=5572827) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/13 "2024-04-24T18:09:45Z")
> **[Heisman Trophy returned to Bush after 14 years](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/40014492/reggie-bush-heisman-trophy-returned)** > > The Heisman Trust is returning the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush and a replica to USC after the former running back had forfeited the award in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/14 "2024-04-24T19:52:22Z")
I eagerly await Bush’s appearances on the Heisman House ads. I’ve seen a number of hilarious ideas floating around. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/15 "2024-04-24T19:56:37Z")
It’s about time. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/16 "2024-04-24T19:57:41Z")
Good. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/17 "2024-04-24T19:59:56Z")
Maybe someday they’ll give the Grammy back to Fabrice Morvan, the surviving member of [Milli Vanilli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/18 "2024-04-24T21:25:03Z")
They should have given it to the two singers who actually sang their songs. The one thing I remember about Milli Vanilli: they were on an episode of the NBC TV series _Sister Kate_, about a nun at an orphanage - and the episode was about one of the kids pretending that he had a new pair of expensive sneakers that he claimed to have bought stolen from him. Meanwhile, how soon before: (a) USC demands that the AFCA reinstate it as its 2004 national champion; (b) Louisville renews its calls to the NCAA to reinstate it as the 2013 Division I men’s basketball champion? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/19 "2024-04-24T22:13:42Z")
[Moderating] Title updated. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usc-to-give-back-bushs-heisman-trophy-update-april-2024-trophy-returned-to-bush/547388/20 "2024-04-24T22:22:02Z")
Incredibly, the [link](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/usc-reggie-bush-heisman-trophy/1) to the story in the OP still works 14 years later. Kudos to _USA Today_.