Beating around the Bush

For those that don't know, the person pictured above is Reggie Bush. Don't recognize him? Unfortunately he's gained more mainstream notoriety like this;

For those that don't know, 5 years ago when Kim K was just the big butt white b*tch that hangs with Paris Hilton,Bush was the best college football player in the country at the University of Southern California. USC games turned into theReggie Bush show as he weekly put up gaudy numbers and embarrassed defenders. Bush led the USC Tojans to the national championship game, along the way receiving college football's most prestigious award, the Heisman trophy.

Fast forward 5 years. Bush is coming off a Superbowl win. Kim K is.....what the hell is she anyway? A professional professional athlete fu*ker? All would seem well in Reggie's world when along comes in NCAA(National Collegiate Athletic Association for my estrogen infused readers.) They have been investigating Bush and have come to the conclusion that while he was in college he was receiving gifts from sport agents. This violates NCAA rules for student-athletes, making him ineligible to play.

The NCAA's purpose is to "Govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount." That sounds nice, in reality what the NCAA does is exploit student athletes and schools for billions of dollars while at the same time preventing the players from making any money. The NCAA makes truck loads of money showing college football games on TV, through ticket sales, merchandise etc. So why is it that they prevent the student-athletes that are making them so much money from being able to make a few dollars on the side? If the player takes money for an autograph, a picture, a jersey, or anything else he his in violation of the NCAA rules. I could go on, but back to Bush

USC, his school, was fined millions of dollars, lost scholarships and had to erase all the wins and records they set that year. As a result, the have banned Bush from ever returning and wiped out all record of him ever attending. The Heisman trust, the group that awards the Heisman trophy, was set to vote on whether or not they would strip Reggie of his Heisman. Bush saved them the trouble and decided to return the trophy on his own.

More power to him if you ask me. The NCAA is one of the most hypocritical organizations in this country They make billions but don't let the players make a dime on the side? A large amount of college athletes come from impoverished areas and low income households. They view sports as a way out and a means of supporting themselves and their families. So why is it so bad if someone offers a kid a few thousand to sign some autographs or take a some pictures? As far as Bush's school is concerned, stop acting like you didn't conveniently look the other way while all of this was going down. If Bush drove an old Honda one year and next year is driving a Lexus, you might want to look into where he got the money for it from. You are not the victim.

At the end of the day Bush is being made the poster boy for a problem that takes place all over the country. Athletes in dozens of schools are getting gifts and receiving special treatment, to make it seem like Bush was the only one doing this is unfair, he's just the most famous. Although Bush has given back his Heisman, the amazing things he did on the field while at USC cannot be erased. Trophy or no trophy, Reggie Bush is the 2005 Heisman winner.