Heisman Stripped!

Reggie Bush, currently the running back for the New Orleans Saints, will be stripped of the Heisman trophy he won while playing at USC in 2005. It has since been determined that Bush was ineligible in 2005 for accepting improper benefits as a NCAA athlete. Bush became ineligible by accepting gifts from sports marketers, such as a rent free home and limousine for his family. This is the first time in the 75 year history of the college football most valuable player award, that it has been vacated. (The Heisman Trust has decided not to give the award to the 2005 runner-up, Vince Young.)

Bush's behavior in 2005 warranted some punishment, but does the stripping of his Heisman really make him feel the pain? Sure there are additional consequences, such as the negative press, embarrassment, and removal of his image from USC's campus, but does any of this matter now that Bush has a Superbowl ring? This is like being crowned Miss America, and then having your Miss California title taken away. It is possible that Bush's breakup with Kim Kardashian was even more painful and got more press.

The real losers here are Vince Young and the other college football players who played fair. Whether this punishment for Bush is justified or not, there is no way to rewind to 2005 and let another player win the honor.