SIMONE DEL ROSARIO

The trophy was just the start.

Months after getting his 2005 Heisman reinstated, former USC superstar Reggie Bush filed a lawsuit against the university, the Pac-12, and the NCAA.

With college players getting paid today for their name, image, and likeness, one of the best college players of his era is looking for some back pay.

His lawsuit claims the three profited “from uncompensated use” of his name, image, and likeness.

During his electrifying junior year, Bush racked up 1,740 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to securing college football’s greatest honor. He was also part of the 2004 National Championship-winning team.

But in 2010, the NCAA said Bush received improper benefits as a player.

As a result, they forced the decorated running back to forfeit his Heisman. USC was also forced to vacate its 2004 national title and 14 wins associated with Bush.

But the rules changed wildly in 2021 after the NCAA lost a Supreme Court case. The governing body reluctantly allowed athletes to financially benefit from NIL.

And Bush, long punished for minor compensation in the early aughts, took notice.

REGGIE BUSH: From day one, you already owned your nil. It was just that when you got into college football or basketball, now you were stripped of that stripped of that ability.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: Bush is very aware of the Pandora’s box opened by his latest lawsuit. One of his attorneys, Evan Selik, said the suit isn’t even about Bush.

He 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.”

REGGIE BUSH: That’s the thing that NCAA has always wanted to guard against, is not allowing the players to understand their true value, and allowing these teams to get too big to where they start to branch off.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: Retroactive NIL compensation isn’t an overly bizarre proposition.

In a proposed settlement of three federal antitrust cases, the NCAA and the power conferences agreed to pay around $2.7 billion over 10 years to athletes involved in the suit who were athletes in the five years leading up to NIL rule changes.

But for the time being, that settlement is on hold as a judge called for revisions.

PAT MCAFEE: Do you have the Heisman back already? Do they overnight it?

REGGIE BUSH: Man, that’s right there Big Dog”

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: In April of this year, Bush reunited with his Heisman Trophy.

The Heisman Trust cited “enormous changes in the college football landscape” as the reason behind the decision. Bush also reunited with USC and his retired jersey once again hung in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Aside from his lawsuits, Bush has become a prolific critic of the NCAA. In February of this year, he made an Instagram post referencing a labor ruling that Dartmouth men’s basketball players are employees of the university. He wrote:

“The power of information is real and your days are numbered @ncaa and I will be there to watch you bleed out with my Trophy 🏆 in one hand and a 🔪(knife) in the other.”

If his fight for the Heisman is any indication, Reggie is in it for the long haul.

REGGIE BUSH: I’ve always felt like I was gonna get the Heisman trophy back. Always, I just didn’t know how long it was gonna take. And it didn’t matter to me how long it took, as well, I was gonna fight until it could have been another 20 years, you know, I was gonna continue to fight for it.

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: For the latest developments in NIL and college athletics, search “NIL” on SAN.com or the Straight Arrow News app.