Few college football superstars have the resume or the highlight reel of former University of Southern California Trojan running back Reggie Bush.
The standout athlete made football look easy while he was running literal circles around opponents in the early-to-mid aughts.
Despite that, few college football superstars, if any, have been more forcibly scrubbed from the annals of NCAA history than Bush.
And now Bush appears to have a years-old ax grind because of it.
As reported by ESPN, Bush is suing USC, the Pac-12 conference, which USC used to play in, and the NCAA as a whole, “seeking compensation for his name, image and likeness during his time with the program.”
NIL money — which allows players to be paid for the use of their name, image or likeness — has radically changed the landscape of college football, and Bush’s legal team is looking to set “a precedent” based on that change.
For the unaware, for years, it was very illegal for a college football program to recruit players with money. Bush’s playing era coincided with the pre-NIL money fallout.
Now?
Do you think college football has changed for the better with NIL money?
Not only can college players be paid, they can enjoy a myriad of other benefits that players of Bush’s era could not — at least not publicly.
The money payment issue was actually at the heart of a years-long saga where Bush was accused of enjoying improper benefits as a college athlete and eventually stripped of his Heisman trophy. He has since gotten that Heisman back.
But that ugly episode clearly left a sour taste in his mouth, as evidenced by what Bush’s legal team had to say about this forthcoming lawsuit.
“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,” said Levi G. McCathern, II, one of Bush’s attorneys. “However, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”
A different Bush attorney made clear this issue went beyond just Bush.
“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush,” Evan Selik said. “It’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes.
“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.”
The 13th-ranked USC Trojans, lawsuit and all, will look to keep its solid season going by beating a visiting University of Wisconsin team on Saturday.
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