Reggie Bush Heisman Taken Away: Don't Mess With Vince...Young, That Is

The Heisman Trophy Trust, in cooperation with the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City, has awarded the 2005 Heisman Trophy to Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young of the University of Texas in a statement Monday afternoon.

"Since we have chose to strip Mr. [Reggie] Bush of this award due to his NCAA ineligibility," the trust said in the statement, "we have decided to award this to the runner-up in the vote, Vince Young. He epitomizes a winner that plays by the rules on and off the field."

The news was met with wide elation from Longhorns head coach Mack Brown and the entire student body of the University of Texas at Austin.

Signs outside the Texas Union were raised at a pep rally supporting Young which said, among notables "BURN IN HELL REGGIE!", "DON'T MESS WITH VINCE!" and "HEISMAN JUSTICE!!!"

"We feel that justice has been served," Brown said at a press conference Monday. "Cheaters will never prosper. Vince has been a joy to have coached, and to have him as the first Longhorn quarterback to win the Heisman is a boon not only for him, or me, but for this team and this university."

Young led the Longhorns to the 2005 National Championship during their 41-38 victory over the USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl. He finished second in the voting with 1,608 votes.

Young is Texas's third Heisman Trophy winner, and the first since Ricky Williams won it in 1998.

When notified of his award during Titans practice, his players were reported to have doused him with champagne.

"I had to put up with a lot of folks congratulating me for something that was a few year after the fact," Young said. "I knew something was up regarding Reggie's dealings down there [at USC]. I just had a feeling this was going to be my day.

"Seriously, I feel like I am on top of the world, to know that I had won the Heisman Trophy after all. It's heaven."

When asked if this would be a distraction heading into the Titans season opener on September 12 against the Oakland Raiders at LP Field, Young brushed it aside.

"It's actually motivation for me to help my teammates out this year," Young said. "I'm now looking forward to this season more than ever, now that all the drama and doubt regarding what happened a few years back is done and dusted."

Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and current Houston Texans backup QB, was feeling a bit wary.

"Oh God, I hope these New York WASPs don't strip me of my award too," he said with a wry smile amid laughter at the Texans practice ahead of their September 12 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.