Return Game: Bush To Give Back Heisman

If it wasn't for the whole Super Bowl thing, Reggie Bush would be having a lousy 12 months. Now his trophy case will lack the biggest individual achievement he has garnered to date: The 2005 award for the most outstanding player in college football.

Reggie Bush Set To Give Back Heisman Trophy (AP) If it wasn't for the whole Super Bowl thing, Reggie Bush would be having a lousy 12 months. Now his trophy case will lack the biggest individual achievement he has garnered to date: The 2005 award for the most outstanding player in college football. Last year, the whispers of a probe and investigation in Bush and USC violating major NCAA violations of improper gifts and benefits began to grow louder. Repeatedly, Bush dodged questions about his involvement during his years at the school, referring all to his lawyers. Then, the waterfall came crashing over the dam. Just after Pete Carroll bolted Southern Cal for the NFL, the NCAA placed the Trojans on probation, banning them from postseason play for a year and taking away a significant amount of scholarships and recruiting allowances. Additionally, the NCAA declared Bush ineligible for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, putting the Trojans' status as 2004 consensus champions and the '05 Heisman won by Bush over runner-up Vince Young in question. Just last week, there were reports from Yahoo Sports that the Heisman Trust decided to strip Bush of the award, to which they said that no concrete decision was made. Now, in a cloud of controversy and with a slightly tainted reputation in the case, Bush made the decision today to forfeit his Heisman Trophy-the first time in the 75-year history of the award that a winner has done so. His forfeiture is a major thumbtack in the troubles that plagued Southern Cal in the past few years. The questions surrounding its athletes and the atmosphere of Hollywood in the second biggest media market in the country has been going on for quite some time. Jokes have been thrown around that USC was the pro football team in Los Angeles, which has been devoid of a professional football franchise since 1995 when both the Raiders and Rams left southern California. With the NCAA findings against Bush and USC, it's unlikely that the public will ever know how well some players were compensated for their performances in their tenure there. The most disappointing thing about Reggie Bush's admission and forfeiture is the brilliance and magnificence that made him the prototypical Heisman winner. During his three years at USC, he was amazing in every facet of the game. He displayed a rare skill set that was seen in greats such as Johnny Rodgers, Desmond Howard, Marcus Allen and Charles Woodson-all previous Heisman Trophy winners. As a runner, he displayed the ability to break a run for an improbable touchdown. As a receiver, he presented a match-up problem for any defender assigned to him. As a returner, he showed skills that only a handful of players in history could duplicate. His performances against Fresno State and rival UCLA in '05 cemented his spot for the Heisman later that year. While the Trojans fell to Vince Young and Texas in the classic 2006 Rose Bowl, Bush's legacy at Southern Cal was in the pantheon of O.J., Davis, White and Allen as the greatest to ever wear the cardinal and gold. Simply put, he was the player that all video gamers create with their Create-A-Player feature on NCAA Football each year. After the Rose Bowl loss, people wanted to argue that Young was indeed the best player in college football. Now, in a twist of irony, the trophy may be Young's after all once the Heisman Trust decides what recourse of action to take. If you walk the athletic arenas of USC, there will be no mementos of Bush and his greatness on the walls and the trophy cases. The school, in compliance with its penalties, removed all likenesses of Bush from its displays across campus. Should the NCAA reject USC's appeal, it's more than likely that the Trojans 2004 BCS national championship trophy will be removed as well. In essence, it would almost seem that USC didn't play football for two years and ceased to exist. The tragedy of Reggie Bush in this instance exemplifies the pressure and fragility that success bestows upon those on mountaintops. As a potential star, the world is presented to you on a platter with riches and fame for the taking. Like the story of Adam in the Garden of Eden, he was enticed by the forbidden fruit. The bites that he took brought paradise into purgatory and now one of college football's greatest players and greatest teams will live in infamy as their records are erased and the shavings and leftovers are blown off of the page.