Reggie Bush may lose Heisman

[red]

there is a lot of talk that bush is going to be stripped of his heisman because he took gifts in college

to me this is the biggest crock of shit witch hunt i have ever seen

the only thing the separates bush from 50% or more of other Div-1 football players is that bush got caught by some guy who writes on yahoo.

every year you here of a couple teams going on probation, but lets be honest if the ncaa wanted too it could investigate almost every school and find violations

someone let this story leak so the Ncaa had to do something about it, and now the heisman committee might strip the best college player i've ever seen of their prize. you can't tell me vince young, jay cutler, mario williams, vernon davis, and our own AJ hawk weren't also receiving gifts

i call bull shit on this whole thing

[pbmax]

Would you please represent me in traffic court in three weeks for my speeding ticket?

He was caught, in part, because he stiffed some of his benefactors on a business opportunity after he left college. A marketing deal, I believe. Bush took their money and did not deliver on a promise. I think its perfectly fitting in this case. Much better than the school not going to bowl games now, affecting players who were not involved.

[channtheman]

I think it's okay. He broke the rule and just because other people may or may not be doing the same doesn't make it okay.

[Guiness]

I agree that this is a witch hunt. Why are they hunting this witch? Two reasons, I'd guess.

First, because of the size of the gift. But that is relative, it's only the largest (we know about) until the next largest comes along. Right now Jamarcus is the biggest bust ever, because he cost the most...but in reality, he's no bigger a bust than Ki-Jana or Tim Couch.

I'd say reason #2 - he bit the hand that fed him, and they decided to make him pay.

[mraynrand]

I'd say reason #2 - he bit the hand that fed him, and they decided to make him pay.

Let sleeping dogs lie!

[Brandon494]

He did not use any performing enhancing drugs and should be able to keep his Heisman IMO. Agents taking advantage of a young kid are the ones to be blamed here.

[Guiness]

He did not use any performing enhancing drugs and should be able to keep his Heisman IMO. Agents taking advantage of a young kid are the ones to be blamed here.

True words.

It makes the NCAA look bad, and the concept of the amateur athlete-student silly.

[NewsBruin]

there is a lot of talk that bush is going to be stripped of his heisman because he took gifts in college

to me this is the biggest crock of shit witch hunt i have ever seen

the only thing the separates bush from 50% or more of other Div-1 football players is that bush got caught by some guy who writes on yahoo.

every year you here of a couple teams going on probation, but lets be honest if the ncaa wanted too it could investigate almost every school and find violations

someone let this story leak so the Ncaa had to do something about it, and now the heisman committee might strip the best college player i've ever seen of their prize. you can't tell me vince young, jay cutler, mario williams, vernon davis, and our own AJ hawk weren't also receiving gifts

i call bull shit on this whole thing

**Start Rant**

I'm not sure where the "bull shit" is to call on this decision. The NCAA ruled that Bush was not an eligible amateur athlete, and the Downtown Athletic Club has every right to pull its award.

You're right in that everyone's school has dirty hands, you'd be right that the rules themselves may be stupid and biased against the students, you're right that the NCAA has a history of not taking on its sacred cattle until they're past their prime, and you'd be right if you stated that the NCAA allocates its rules and resources to maximize income over promoting collegiate scholarship.

I don't see how that should change the DAC's mind about rescinding its award.

"Hmm. Well, I guess everyone else does it, too. That is some bullshit. Here's your statue back, Reggie. Our apologies."

Yes, Reggie Bush was busted because someone spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on him and got nothing out of it. To me the sad part is that it takes someone with LITERALLY A CANCELLED CHECK IN HAND to make the NCAA pay attention to its (at the time) marquee program, and even then, it's after four years of seemingly doing nothing about it.

I grew up and live in Alabama, and I went to college in Texas. We don't have much else, but we have heavily invested athletic programs. In Texas, the SWC was done in because people kept ratting on each others' slimeball boosters. In the SEC, at least the schools have the decency (Phil Fulmer excepted) to not tattle and then put up a convincing show of outrage that the evil North is biased against their helpless State U (looking at you, Crimson Tide).

Everybody's dirty. The NCAA does their darndest to get money at every turn. I lost all respect after they approved a 12th regular-season football game. It rules for or against athletes on a whim (http://www1.realclearsports.com/2010/09/02/masoli_case_shows_ncaa039s_hypocrisy_78947.html), without any real pattern. It's investigation staff is too small, too impotent, and, frankly, too nutless to go up against anything but the slam-dunk cases of violations. Only starting with the USC infractions, have I seen them go after a ranked school (and this was only after USC lost its status as perennial champ).

The players are dirty. They get counselled a billionty times on what they can and cannot do or perform to keep their athletic scholarship, and some do it anyway.

The schools and coaches are dirty. Look at Houston Nutt's recruiting Masoli to Ole Miss, Rich Rodriguez practice violations, or the University of Washington's protection of Jerramy Stevens. Frankly, listen to the majors of the starting lineup for any top-25 team broadcast and try to not giggle. Check out the football graduation rate of your favorite team.

I wouldn't call the NFL dirty, but it's complicit. As long as they get 2-5 years free developmental play and lots of footage, they don't care what happens before the draft (as long as it doesn't affect players' behavior after the contract is signed).

This is nothing new. In the 20's, it was Army taking the big, dumb morons, putting them on a team, then shipping them out for 3 years of service. Now, it's just a different ranked school, leaving Army with the smarter kids.

I don't necessarily want to see student-athletes be paid, or amateurism disbanded. I just would like to see the NCAA do 2 things: 1. Actually promote and enforce policies that lead to students being able to learn and graduate their schools with real, useable degrees -- even if it costs them valuable revenue. 2. Have the teeth or balls or whatever to enforce their member schools to hold to this agreement.

Recently, Nick Saban threatened to close Alabama practices to NFL scouts, claiming that the NFL did nothing toward its players' agents (or "pimps," in his words), who preyed on amateur players. I somewhat believe that Nick just doesn't want another pimp imposing on his territory. If the NCAA declared that it was halving its allotted in-season practice time and cutting spring practice to 6 hours/week, would Saban be leading the charge for better student-athletes?

Until then, as long as Alabama's ranked #1, Saban has nothing to worry about.

**End Rant. Apologies.**

[pbmax]

He did not use any performing enhancing drugs and should be able to keep his Heisman IMO. Agents taking advantage of a young kid are the ones to be blamed here.
Bush and his family accepted cash and gifts, including housing and transportation I believe, then broke the agreement after his college career was over. Who is taking advantage of who in this case?

I am sure there are agents and their runners who take advantage of their players. This is the exact reverse.

[pbmax]

One other point, its a technicality, but important when discussing how to stop what Saban and others are whining about. There are NFLPA rules about not contacting underclassman. Agents, to retain their certification, must abide by these rules.

However, there is another class of representative, the Marketing Agent (as opposed to contract agents) who do not do any contract negotiations with the NFL and are not impeded by the NFLPA rules. Its was this kind of marketing group who got entangled with Bush. They are largely unregulated outside of applicable State laws.

I blame Nike.

[NewsBruin]

Hmm, I didn't know about the NFLPA rules. I know there are state rules, but aside from "protecting the legacy of State U," I don't know why this is considered a criminal act. I think it'd be more appropriate for schools to have to take it to civil/criminal court for tortuous contract violation.

I think the NFLPA would be very wise to address the agents, not for any "love of the game" or amateur athletics, but as a focus on extending its future members' careers and putting them in the best position to succeed (scumbag agents, rookie holdouts, and personal finance would be my first targets).

I know the NFL does this in rookie camp, but it would be nice to see the current players beat the agents to the punch.

I meant to add in my "Saban" paragraph that if the NCAA required (hypothetically) every head coach to have a one-on-one, face-to-face meeting and a signed statement from each of his school's top 100 boosters that they had not done and will not do anything to jeopardize any athlete's eligibility under penalty of complete shunning for 10 years, if he would do that as well. You know, to ward off the evil pimps.

[Tarlam!]

Bush should make a symbolic donation to his favourite charity as compensation. If you ask me, he has shown great judgement in not going into business with the crooks that put him in this situation in the first place.

I think he deserved the award, based on what he did on the football field. He should keep it. Just my opinion.