LOS ANGELES – In late July, his Heisman Trophy finally rested on a table inside USC’s John McKay Center, Reggie Bush’s alma mater proudly displaying a hunk of bronze that had become the symbol of one of the greatest legal battles in modern NCAA history.
It was a sign, then, that the phrases Reggie Bush and University of Southern California – as printed on his statue – were back intertwined forever, the former USC luminary fully accepted and heralded at last by a new administration within the university’s walls. And the 39-year-old, quickly, seemed to become a cherished part of the fold again since Lincoln Riley and athletic director Jen Cohen endorsed the return of his Heisman in April, his No. 5 jersey at last displayed on the peristyle at the Coliseum and Bush popping up on the sidelines in Vegas for USC’s season opener against LSU.
There were public murmurings, too, that Bush could lead USC out of the tunnel in a game this fall, a desire he’s made clear ever since announcing a defamation suit against the NCAA in 2023.
That’s an unlikely outcome, now.
On Monday morning, Bush announced a lawsuit against USC, the Pac-12 and NCAA over perceived “exploitation of Reggie Bush’s name, image and likeness during his tenure as a USC football player,” according to a release from Bush’s team and legal representation McCathern Law. The suit points to unrecouped NIL benefits involving revenue streams – such as TV contracts, merchandise sales, and media rights – “linked” to Bush’s prominence in his time at USC, and alleges that the school, conference and NCAA took financial benefits from Bush’s reputation without monetary acknowledgement.
Bush’s team declined a request for comment from Bush.
“We appreciate that the new administration at USC is trying to pick up the pieces of the former administrations’ unjust and improper handling of Reggie Bush,” attorney Levi McCathern said in a statement. “However, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”
They had, indeed, quite publicly attempted to pick up the pieces, continuing to break a lengthy disassociation that was officially snapped under the Mike Bohn administration in 2020 after the legal battle with the NCAA over his Heisman Trophy. A source familiar with the situation confirmed with the Southern California News Group that USC and Bush’s team had been engaged in talks trying to set a date this fall for Bush to lead USC’s team out of the tunnel at the Coliseum, an honor traditionally reserved for prominent school alumni.
But during the past year, Bush has continued to press the issue on legally reclaiming his reputation, after the NCAA ruled in 2010 Bush had accepted improper benefits in his time at USC and stripped him of his Heisman. A subsequent legal joust around former USC coach Todd McNair, though, poked massive holes into the credibility of the NCAA’s original investigation. That set into motion a timeline that led to Bush’s eventual announcement of that defamation suit against the NCAA in August 2023 over language around a “pay-for-play” statement centered around Bush, and the Heisman Trust eventually bent the knee this spring in a triumphant moment for Bush.
“I’ve never cheated,” Bush said in an April presser, after receiving his Heisman. “And there is no proof of that.”
His lawsuit, now, appears to piggyback in some respect on the landmark settlement this summer from multiple antitrust cases against the NCAA, announcing $2.8 billion in backpay damages would be paid out to NCAA athletes over 10 years for uncompensated usage of their name, image and likeness.
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“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush; it’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes,” McCathern Law’s Evan Selik said in a statement. “Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions.”
It was one of Bush’s dreams, as he affirmed in that April presser, to run out on the Coliseum’s field again with USC’s team. Finally, minted, as the rightful Heisman winner in 2005.
But the inclusion of USC into the suit will muddy that possibility – and leaves Bush’s relationship with USC in murky waters moving forward.