OT: Bush Forfeits Heisman

[crisper57]

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/new...4-4310-9c76-4461f11f46db?module=breaking_news

Announced by the Saints...

Wow. I am in shock. When's the last time a professional athlete fessed up to wrongdoing?

 

[Cheesebeef]

he didn't fess up to jack squat. He said he's giving it back because of the distractions and story, not because he didn't deserve it because he was ineligible. Dude was still referring to his wrong-doing as "allegations" even though they've been proven true.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

I just wish someone could ask "what are those mistakes" when he mentioned the part about working with the heisman committee to setup an educational program for athletes coming out of HS so they don't make the same mistakes as him

 

[Lloydian]

You know, if he hadn't taken those gifts, he would never have gained a yard in college.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

you know - if it weren't for those gifts maybe he ends up at a different school, different system, different results

it's hard to proclaim someone as the best player when they weren't elligible to even be on the field

i'm pretty sure bobby bowden coached in a few more wins .... i'm sure his teams beat those other teams and the results were obtained within the rules of the game on the field

however, when those players shouldn't of been on the field to begin with there is a problem .... that's the reason why the gap between him & JoePa is so wide and bobby is out of football now

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Nice pre-emptive strike, Reggie. Give it back before they take it away.

Sometimes, though, it's just easier to play by the rules to start with.

 

[crisper57]

Nice pre-emptive strike, Reggie.

Sometimes, though, it's just easier to play by the rules to start with.

I don't know, he took free money in college, which he never repaid. Parlayed his college career (including the Heisman win) into a high draft pick and millions of dollars. That lead to endorsements, magazine covers, and him being in a video game. He used his fame and wealth to sleep with Kim Kardashian. He has a Super Bowl ring...

And now all he has to do after all that is give back a trophy?

Sign me up for cheating.

 

[crisper57]

I think he should hire someone to carve his likeness and a #5 into the statue before he returns it so that VY never forgets who really won it (if they try to award it to him).

 

[TheHopToad]

He should have just sold the thing. With as much controversy and publicity this story has gotten, he probably could have made some good coin on it.

 

[jmt]

Nice pre-emptive strike, Reggie.

Sometimes, though, it's just easier to play by the rules to start with.

Rules? Ha ha! What a sanctimonious piece of crap is the NCAA. All the money being made on football but only the players pay for breaking the rules.

 

[Duckjake]

I just hope that if they try to give it to Vince Young he says no thanks.

VY has already had enough trouble from being on the cover of Madden.

 

[Catfish]

I just hope that if they try to give it to Vince Young he says no thanks.

VY has already had enough trouble from being on the cover of Madden.

I've got news for you Jake: Vick's troubles didn't come from being on Madden

 

[Duckjake]

I've got news for you Jake: Vick's troubles didn't come from being on Madden

Right and Polamalu didn't miss most of the 2009 season.

 

[Russ Smith]

I just hope that if they try to give it to Vince Young he says no thanks.

VY has already had enough trouble from being on the cover of Madden.

To my surprise Vince is saying he'll take it if they offer it. I wouldn't, you don't win an award 5 years later it just cheapens the award.

I can't believe people are commending Bush for this, he didn't admit to anything, he used legal speak to avoid saying why he's forfeiting it, and he's only forfeiting it because he doesn't want them to strip him. Robert Smith said on ESPN this morning that he hears other Heisman winners on the committee told Bush he should forfeit it because if he didn't, they'd end up stripping him and it would look better if he gave it up voluntarily.

Ironically it's very similar to a school getting caught breaking NCAA rules and then self penalizing so they can publicly say we took this so seriously we took our own penalties instead of waiting for the NCAA ruling. They're not doing it because they take the rules seriously, they're doing it to try and get leniency from the NCAA. Bush is trying to get leniency from the Heisman committee so they won't come out against him.

Charles White said if OJ didn't forfeit his Heisman when he got on trial for murder, why should Bush, OJ's was much worse. Completely missed the point, there is no Heisman rule that says if you're charged with murder 20 years after you win it, you're not eligible to keep the Heisman. There IS a Heisman rule that says very clearly in order to be eligible to win the award, you have to have been NCAA eligible, and Bush wasn't.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I can't believe people are commending Bush for this, he didn't admit to anything, he used legal speak to avoid saying why he's forfeiting it, and he's only forfeiting it because he doesn't want them to strip him. Robert Smith said on ESPN this morning that he hears other Heisman winners on the committee told Bush he should forfeit it because if he didn't, they'd end up stripping him and it would look better if he gave it up voluntarily.

Bingo. The Saints PR department writes out a nice little statement and issues it under Bush's name. Meanwhile the SC program won't learn a thing from all of this. They will be crying in their Anchor Steam, rant to each other about the sanctions, and keep right on doing what they've always done.

 

[crisper57]

The Heisman Trust has decided to keep the 2005 Heisman vacant. They won't award it to VY because they say it is impossible to know how voiting would have gone if Bush wasn't eligible for voting back then.

Per 620 KTAR

 

[Russ Smith]

The Heisman Trust has decided to keep the 2005 Heisman vacant. They won't award it to VY because they say it is impossible to know how voiting would have gone if Bush wasn't eligible for voting back then.

Per 620 KTAR

Right decision IMHO.

FYI on PTI right now they're saying that the "inside word" is that Bush was told by the Heisman trust he had 5 days to decide, forfeit the award, or be stripped, so he chose forfeit.

 

[desertdawg]

He should have just sold the thing. With as much controversy and publicity this story has gotten, he probably could have made some good coin on it.

That would be hilarious.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

To my surprise Vince is saying he'll take it if they offer it. I wouldn't, you don't win an award 5 years later it just cheapens the award.

I can't believe people are commending Bush for this, he didn't admit to anything, he used legal speak to avoid saying why he's forfeiting it, and he's only forfeiting it because he doesn't want them to strip him. Robert Smith said on ESPN this morning that he hears other Heisman winners on the committee told Bush he should forfeit it because if he didn't, they'd end up stripping him and it would look better if he gave it up voluntarily.

Ironically it's very similar to a school getting caught breaking NCAA rules and then self penalizing so they can publicly say we took this so seriously we took our own penalties instead of waiting for the NCAA ruling. They're not doing it because they take the rules seriously, they're doing it to try and get leniency from the NCAA. Bush is trying to get leniency from the Heisman committee so they won't come out against him.

Charles White said if OJ didn't forfeit his Heisman when he got on trial for murder, why should Bush, OJ's was much worse. Completely missed the point, there is no Heisman rule that says if you're charged with murder 20 years after you win it, you're not eligible to keep the Heisman. There IS a Heisman rule that says very clearly in order to be eligible to win the award, you have to have been NCAA eligible, and Bush wasn't.

He most certainly didn't say that in an interview I saw on the NFL Network.

 

[Russ Smith]

He most certainly didn't say that in an interview I saw on the NFL Network.

Yep I saw that too. But yesterday on the crawl at the bottom on ESPN they ran a quote that said Young has indicated he would take it if they contact him and offer it.

The Heisman trust has the perfect answer, since they can't possibly know how the votes would have gone without Bush in the running, they won't award a trophy for that year.

Apparently Bush announced his forfeit literally hours before the trust was scheduled to vote on the issue and announce the result. Bush was led to believe the vote would be to strip him, so he forfeited.

 

[D-Dogg]

He most certainly didn't say that in an interview I saw on the NFL Network.

They were playing on the radio all day today. Yes, he said it. I heard him.