Read the opposing argument from Loyal Homer.
As the NCAA draws to conclusion its four-year investigation of allegations that Bush accepted gifts and violated the NCAA laws (making him an ineligible player) while playing for USC, there is talk that the NCAA and BCS could revoke USC’s national championship from the 2004 season. The season where Reggie Bush dominated.
That would be an extremely misguided attempt to send a message by punishing all of the wrong people.
If it was determined at any point through this investigation that the university and its boosters provided illegal payments and gifts to recruit and retain players – including Reggie Bush – and that team of illegally recruited athletes then went on to win the national championship, then I would agree wholeheartedly with stripping USC of its title. But the facts of the case, as they exist today, do not indicate any wrongdoing on the part of the university.
This case appears to center solely on Reggie Bush and the alleged relationship he had with New Era Sports and Entertainment.
By all accounts, Reggie Bush did not even begin his relationship with New Era until his sophomore season. By then, Bush had already committed to playing for the Trojans, and for their part, the Trojans do not appear to be in violation of any recruiting rules. Likewise, the university does not appear to have gained anything as a result of Bush’s illegal relationship with New Era and its representatives.
Reggie Bush, after playing a full season of college football, was allegedly approached by Michael Michaels and Lloyd Lake of New Era, and illegally offered money and gifts for the promise of future representation.
It is to this point that the air needs to be cleared: USC fairly and ethically recruited and fielded Reggie Bush. As such, the university is not guilty of committing any infractions.
Think about the situation – Reggie Bush was an eligible athlete when recruited WITHIN the confines of the rules by USC. Then, a full year AFTER being recruited, Bush SECRETLY lost his eligibility in a PRIVATE arrangement with people that had absolutely no affiliation with the university. At what point in that series of events does USC violate any rules?
This does not appear to have involved any other players on the USC team, nor does it involve official representatives of the university itself. It simply involves one kid who broke the rules of the game. While Reggie Bush and the representatives of New Era should be punished if the allegations are proven to be true, that does not mean that the university, its coaches, or the other 100 athletes who committed their ENTIRE effort to FAIRLY (this is an appropriate use of the term “fair”) win a national championship deserve to have their records tarnished, and their accomplishments nullified, just because hindsight has proven that one guy on their team broke the rules.
That would be like finding out that one player on a team used steroids, then labeling the ENTIRE TEAM as cheaters and negating all of the TEAM’S accomplishments.
If it is ever determined that the university willingly and knowingly participated in the violation of NCAA rules, then it deserves to have the title stripped away. Because that does not appear to be the case at this time, punishment in the matter should be reserved strictly for Bush, Michaels, and Lake. And while the NCAA may be tempted to send a very strong message out to the rest of the college athletic world that rule violations are unacceptable, it would come at the expense of a group of hard-working, fair-playing, INNOCENT people.
The problem of NCAA rule violations is a very serious one, and I fully support any measure that is taken in the interest of preventing these violations in the future. Punishing the innocent, though – simply for wearing the same jersey as the guilty party – is not the answer.
