Reggie Bush Suing NCAA for Defamation

Back in 2010 retired NFL running back Reggie Bush was forced to return his Heisman Trophy after being accused of accepting cash while playing football for the University of Southern California [click here if you missed that]. 

Now Reggie is planning to sue the National Collegiate Athletics Association for defamation of character...

From The NY Post

Former USC running back Reggie Bush is preparing to file a lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday for defamation.

The suit stems from a statement the college sports governing body made in 2021 about the possibility that Bush could have his records and participation restored due to changes to name, image and likeness rules, his lawyers said in a statement.

Bush is planning a press conference on Wednesday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to discuss his suit.

“The lawsuit is based on the NCAA maliciously attacking his character through a completely false and highly offensive statement that was widely reported in the media and substantially and irreparably damaged his reputation,” the law firm McCathern, PLLC said in a statement Tuesday night.

“Specifically, on July 28, 2021, the NCAA … falsely issued a statement to reporters that because of Mr. Bush’s prior involvement in a ‘pay-for-play arrangement,’ the NCAA would not consider restoring his collegiate records that it vacated in 2010, which subsequently resulted in Mr. Bush having to return his Heisman Trophy [the first player in history to do so].

“Within less than a day, this false statement was republished by no less than 20 different media organizations and circulated to readers around the world.”