In a move that's stirring up a legal storm, Reggie Bush, the former USC football star, has launched a lawsuit against his alma mater, the NCAA, and the Pac-12. He's striving to claim a slice of the profits made off his name, image, and likeness (NIL) during the heydays of his college career, a period spanning 2003-2005, NBC Los Angeles reports. Bush is revered in college football circles, not just for his electric gameplay which snagged him two national titles and a Heisman Trophy but also for his subsequent 11-year tenure in the NFL.
Bush voluntarily returned his Heisman Trophy in 2010 following a damning NCAA ruling against USC, triggered in part by his ties with two sports marketing hopefuls. However, the Heisman Trust decided to restore the award to Bush earlier this year, quoting dramatic shifts in the college sports landscape over the last 14 years, as detailed by ABC7. The same seismic changes in the structure of college athletics prompted the NCAA to adjust its stance in 2021, finally allowing athletes to profit through endorsements and sponsorships after a prolonged resistance.
"This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush," conveyed attorney Evan Selik, framing the lawsuit as a crusade to establish a new precedent for how college athletes are recognized and recompensed, according to the legal team's statement featured by CBS News Los Angeles. USC's extended arm towards reconciliation included reinstating Bush's retired number and acknowledging his Heisman triumph on their grounds. Nevertheless, USC has professed ignorance about Bush's recent legal maneuver, claiming it hasn't received a copy of the lawsuit and therefore cannot address its claims. Levi McCathern, representing Bush on another front in a separate defamation suit against the NCAA, underscored appreciation for the current USC administration’s efforts but lamented the protracted delay "speaks volumes."
Bush is one of numerous former collegiate athletes who have approached the courts seeking compensation under the reformed NIL rules this year. His lawsuit joins the likes of actions pursued by former Michigan stars Denard Robinson and Braylon Edwards, as well as a contingent from NC State's 1983 NCAA championship-winning basketball team, all aiming to get compensated for the commercial use of their names and images, as chronicled by The Associated Press. These efforts dovetail with the NCAA's attempts to resolve three antitrust lawsuits via a settlement agreement meant to distribute $2.78 billion among legions of college athletes.
