Reggie Bush is suing USC, Pac-12 and the NCAA. The Super Bowl champ says all three agencies benefited significantly from his name, image and likeness during the years he played for USC and even after but “without any acknowledgment of his contribution,” ESPN reported.
“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush,” Evan Selik, an attorney for Bush, said, per ESPN. “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.”
Bush totaled 1,740 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns when he won the Heisman Trophy during his junior year at USC in 2005. However, by 2010, the NCAA forced Bush to give up his trophy, saying he received impermissible benefits at USC.
In April, the Heisman Trust reinstated Bush’s award, noting “enormous changes in the college football landscape.” USC also brought back Bush’s No. 5 jersey, which was removed from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum due to the NCAA sanctions. USC displayed Bush’s jersey at the stadium during this year’s home opener.
“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,” another one of Bush’s attorneys Levi G. McCathern, II, said, per ESPN. “However, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”
Bush’s latest lawsuit comes on the heels of a separate lawsuit filed in August that brings allegations of defamation against an NCAA spokesperson. According to CBS Sports, the spokesperson alleged that Bush participated in “pay-for-play arrangements.”
