With his Heisman returned, Reggie Bush vows to continue NCAA fight: ‘I never cheated’
Through his decade in exile, Reggie Bush said he never lost faith that this day would come. Even when no path forth appeared to exist and no one seemed to share in his same steadfast belief. Even as the world branded him a cheater and fans blamed him for USC’s steep fall from grace. Even as his university turned its back and the NCAA assured him it would fight to the bitter end, Bush said he never doubted that someday, somehow he’d have his vindication. Because of that, he held tight to the notion all along that he’d done nothing wrong, telling as much to anyone who’d listen. It would take 14 years, landscape-altering changes to the model of college athletics, shifting swells of public support and a high-priced team of attorneys, but finally this week, from a conference room in Jacksonville, Fla., surrounded by other Heisman winners, Bush felt that smooth, bronze vindication between his fingers once again. The moment, he said, was “better than I ever imagined it would be.” The Heisman Trophy was back with USC’s legendary running back after being stripped