Yahoo Sports Interim AD says USC could end its dissociation with Reggie Bush in 2020
Could USC eventually welcome Reggie Bush back to campus in an official capacity? The school will apparently have the option to do so.
According to interim USC athletic director Dave Roberts, Bush’s dissociation from the school will expire after the 2020 season. USC had to dissociate itself from Bush in 2010 after the NCAA handed down major penalties to the school following a 2006 Yahoo Sports investigation. Yahoo Sports found that Bush had accepted impermissible benefits from marketing agents while he was at USC.
The dissociation with Bush was and has been permanent. But Roberts told Rivals’ TrojanSports.com in an interview on Wednesday that new NCAA rules would allow the school to decide next year if it wanted to tout Bush and his myriad achievements while at the school.
"The COI, which I sit on — Committee on Infractions — had recently put through a rule change. It's called an IOP — internal operating procedure — which basically reduced any disassociation to a 10-year disassociation, much like what was given to [former Michigan basketball star] Chris Webber," Roberts explained. "So in June of 2020, the disassociation for Bush will expire and it's going to be up to the university what the university wants to do."
That’s a decision that will likely be made by whoever is USC’s next permanent athletic director. Roberts is the interim AD after Lynn Swann resigned in September.
Bush was back at Coliseum in September
Bush made his first trip back to the Coliseum in September when USC hosted Utah. Bush was allowed to be at the school’s stadium because he was there for his analyst gig with Fox Sports. Though he helped USC get a 15-yard penalty after he celebrated with players following a Trojan touchdown.
USC got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for celebrating with Reggie Bush 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/9P8NFrFPWW
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 21, 2019
Bush has previously said that he hoped to be able to come back to USC, so it’s likely that he’ll accept any invitation from the school if it happens to come his way next year.
Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy after he rushed for 1,740 yards and had 478 receiving yards, though that Heisman is officially listed as vacated because of the penalties. USC also had to vacate wins during Bush’s tenure with the school and also received a bowl ban and scholarship losses after 2010 because of the Bush scandal.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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