USC cuts ties with Bush after sanctions

[The Franchise]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...rn-his-heisman

USC cuts ties to Bush after sanctions, will return his Heisman

Reggie Bush rushed for 3,169 yards during three seasons at USC, won the 2005 Heisman Trophy and helped the Trojans claim the 2004 BCS national championship.

After the NCAA heavily sanctioned the school for Bush's reported dealings with prospective agents, USC is trying to erase the running back from its past.

USC president-elect C.L. Max Nikias announced Tuesday in a letter addressed to "Members of the USC Trojan Family" that the school will return Bush's award to the Heisman Trophy Trust and remove "all jerseys and murals" that recognize the running back's college career by mid-August.
"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," Nikias wrote in the letter.

Nikias also announced that former USC star Pat Haden will replace Michael Garrett as the school's athletic director, effective Aug. 3. Haden played with the then-Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981.

The NCAA's report, released June 10, concluded that Bush and his family accepted improper benefits from marketing agents while he played for USC.

As a result, the NCAA ruled that USC would have to vacate victories from late 2004 through the 2005 season, a period that included the Trojans' national title victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in January 2005. USC also was penalized with a two-year bowl ban and a loss of 30 scholarships over a three-year period.

Bush, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints, didn't admit any wrongdoing in public comments last month, but he expressed regret over the situation.

"This thing, regarding USC and the NCAA, is the closest thing to death without dying because I have such a great love and respect for the university," Bush said. "This has been one the toughest things I've had to deal with in my life."

Pete Carroll, who went 97-19 with two national titles in nine years as the Trojans' coach, has denied any knowledge of Bush's dealings with agents. He left USC in January to return to the NFL and coach the Seattle Seahawks.

"I do feel responsible being connected with it," Carroll said of USC's troubles. "I've also felt a responsibility, with the way it's come down, to work to try to get the message out there and defend somewhat."