The wait is finally over.
Reggie Bush officially has his Heisman Trophy back, 14 years after forfeiting it in 2010 amid NCAA sanctions. The college football legend rejoiced upon the news coming out Wednesday, as did many across the football world.
NFL World Celebrates Return of Reggie Bush’s Heisman
Bush initially won the Heisman Trophy in 2005 after lighting up the college football world with a standout season. He ran for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns across 13 games on just 200 carries, averaging a whopping 8.7 yards per carry to help lead USC to an undefeated regular season and spot in the BCS National Championship game.
He was later forced to give up the award, however, amid NCAA sanctions regarding him receiving improper benefits during his time at USC.
Matt Leinart quarterbacked that USC team and was one of three Heisman finalists alongside Bush and Texas quarterback Vince Young, whose team defeated the Trojans for the national title.
Leinart, who went on to spend six seasons in the NFL, has long been a vocal supporter of Bush getting the trophy back and was ecstatic at Wednesday’s news of Bush being reinstated by the Heisman Trust.
“It’s about time!!” Leinart said in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter) before elaborating in a video.
It’s about time!! @ReggieBush #FightOn ✌️ pic.twitter.com/E6mfW3cGlm
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) April 24, 2024
Bush went on to have an 11-year NFL career with stints playing for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Buffalo Bills. He tallied more than 2,000 yards across his two seasons in Miami and 1,006 yards during his first campaign in Detroit, making up the most successful run of his professional career from 2011-13.
Former NFL player Ryan Clark, who now works as an analyst for ESPN, expressed his support for Bush during Wednesday’s edition of Get Up.
Clark stood and applauded the news during a segment of the show alongside applause from fellow analysts Mike Greenberg and Damien Woody before discussing exactly why he felt Bush deserved the award — and never should have had it taken away in the first place.
“Reggie Bush is one of the greatest football players to ever grace a college football field. Ever,” Clark said. “Nothing that happened to Reggie Bush’s family, nothing that they may think Reggie Bush was given, had to do with what that man did on the football field.
“He deserves to have his name mentioned amongst the greats that have played our game.”
.@Realrclark25 reacts to the Heisman Trophy being returned to Reggie Bush 👏
"Reggie Bush is one of the greatest football players to ever grace a college football field. … He deserves to have his name mentioned amongst the great that have played our game." pic.twitter.com/9U3EP5vVhR
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 24, 2024
Former college football star Johnny Manziel has been a vocal supporter of Bush as well. Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 after throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,410 yards and 21 scores at Texas A&M as a true freshman and eventually had a brief NFL career.
Manziel came out in March of this year and said he would no longer participate in Heisman ceremonies until Bush got his trophy back.
KEEP READING: List of Heisman Trophy Winners
Manziel expressed his happiness for Bush in one post on Wednesday and made another comment that seemed to resonate with many fans about going back to watch Bush’s highlight tape from his time at USC.
“If you guys need anything from me today I’ll be watching ’05 Reggie Bush highlights on repeat,” Manziel said.
If you guys need anything from me today I’ll be watching ‘05 Reggie Bush highlights on repeat 😤
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) April 24, 2024
Those were just a few reactions from the outpouring of support Bush received Wednesday from those in the college football and NFL worlds alike, along with numerous fans who have long hoped to see his award reinstated.
Now, those folks can turn their attention to others in the world of sports who they feel have been wronged.
