Reggie Bush Officially Forfeits Heisman Trophy

The New Orleans Saints have released a statement from running back Reggie Bush indicating that he has decided to forfeit his Heisman trophy award following pressure from the voting committee and NCAA.

In the statement on the team’s official website, Reggie Bush said:

“… I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005. The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting. In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award, nor on any other institutions or individuals. Nor should it distract from outstanding performances and hard-earned achievements either in the past, present or future.”

Bush had won the Heisman trophy by the biggest landslide in the award’s history, but he was recently ruled ineligible for the 2005 by the NCAA, which opened the possibility that the former star running back for the Trojans would be losing the award.

One of the guidelines given to Heisman Trophy voters is that a player must be in compliance with all NCAA rules to be eligible to win the award.

Reports last week indicated that the NCAA might strip Bush of the award, but with this statement, Bush becomes the first player in 75-year history of the Heisman award to forfeit the honor after it had been given to him.

There has been no immediate word on what will happen with the trophy, though second-place vote-getter, former University Texas, and current Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young has said that he would not decline the award should it be given to him.