The Heisman Trophy Trust Restores Reggie Bush's Heisman Award from 2005

The Heisman Trophy Trust Restores Reggie Bush's Heisman Award from 2005

Today, the Heisman Trophy Trust made history by announcing Reggie Bush's historic return of the 2005 Heisman Memorial Trophy.

Michael Comerford, President of The Heisman Trophy Trust, stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments." "We concluded that the timing is ripe to restore Reggie's Trophy after taking into account the significant developments that have occurred in collegiate sports over the last several years.  We are overjoyed to have him return." 

Inaugurated into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023, Bush had an incredible career at the University of Southern California, where he recorded over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns in an explosive 2005 campaign. Leading USC to a national championship berth, he garnered 784 first-place votes during the 2005 Heisman Trophy campaign—the fifth-most in the trophy's history.

The Heisman Trust returned the Trophy to Bush and the replica to USC as part of the announcement. Bush will get an invitation to every Heisman Trophy presentation going forward, beginning with this fall's 90th event.

The Trust's decision to bring back the Trophy came after a careful consideration of the significant changes that have occurred in college football. These include the Supreme Court's 2021 ruling, which called into question the legitimacy of the NCAA's amateurism model and made student athlete compensation possible; college football players' right to receive payment for their name, image, and likeness (NIL); and the NCAA's most recent proposal to eliminate the cap on education-related payments. Taking into account the fact that student-athlete compensation is becoming a standard practice and seems to be here to stay, the Trust determined that it is appropriate to return the Trophy to Bush, who was without a doubt the best college football player of 2005.

Ted Wells and Joshua Hill of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP are the Trust's attorneys. Comerford said, "We thank attorneys Ted Wells and Josh Hill for their excellent employment as well as counsel for the past two years in helping us come to this decision." Ben Crump, Levi McCathern, and Ty Sheaks of the McCathern firm, who collaborated with the Trust's lawyers, are Bush's attorneys.

About the Trust for the Heisman Trophy: The goal of the Heisman Trophy Trust is to uphold the integrity and perpetuate the history of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, which is given out each year to the best college football player in the country whose accomplishments reflect exceptional talent mixed with determination, hard work, and dedication. Beyond presenting the trophy, the Trust's charity goals include funding youth development initiatives in marginalized areas and the Heisman High School Scholarship Program, which honors student athletes with a strong commitment to community service. Furthermore, the Trust honors exceptional sportspeople who further the Heisman ideal with the Heisman Humanitarian Award each year.  Our mission is to use the athletic brilliance and tradition of the Heisman Trophy to benefit our country's kids and provide marginalized populations more equal access to opportunity.