The University of Southern California lost their 2004 BCS National Championship on Monday, due to violations by running back Reggie Bush. Bush and the Trojans continue to get punished for the infractions he and his family committed nearly seven years ago. Now, the Trojans have lost 30 scholarships’s, forfeited their right to play in a BCS game, lost Bush’s Heisman and lastly, lost their National Championship. To me, the punishment that the NCAA decided to use was very harsh. I believe some action needed to be taken, but not to this extent.
During the 2004 college football season, Reggie Bush began to become a household name. During his amazing junior season, Bush would accept a limousine ride that would end up being very costly. His parents also made mistakes, as they would accept flights, suits and other nice luxuries from a supposable trusted agent. These violations are the major reasons for the punishments being given to USC and Bush.
I feel that these dumb choices by the Bush family are being taken way too harshly by the NCAA. The NCAA should use these severe punishments only if the college program is getting an unfair advantage when it comes to recruiting and game play. USC gained no advantage on the field during these stupid mistakes by Bush and USC. Bush had already signed with USC and was in the peak of his college domination. If the NCAA found out that USC paid Bush to play for them or bet on games, then it would be an entirely different story. These infractions did not give USC any added advantage during either the 2004 or 2005 seasons. USC would have had the same coaches with the same player personnel during those years. The university would still have been one of the greatest football teams in college football history whether or not Bush and his family accepted the benefits. I understand that these are the rules, but to forfeit a championship that was won by a phenomenal team is dumb. Punishing an entire team for the mistake of one player does not make sense.
Like other college superstars, the major concern is whether or not the player in question should have been ineligible. I understand that having Reggie Bush changed the dynamic of the USC offense. But to punish an entire team for playing together and winning a championship seems to be too severe. If we had found out that multiple colleges were in a bidding war over Bush to attend their college then he and USC should have received the strictest punishments. It seems to me, that the Bush family was an extremely tough place and had nowhere else to turn. In no way am I supporting the Bush family for what they did, but in no way helped did it help the USC football team go undefeated.
In the end, I think USC will be fine in the long run because of their great football program and rich tradition. Pete Carroll snuck out of USC after being a powerhouse for nearly a decade. However, now we know that Carroll did not run a tight enough ship and should be the true person blamed. Because Carroll dipped out, the NCAA had no one to put all the blame on. The only people that the NCAA could punish were USC and Bush. The NCAA felt that they were cheated and needed someone to punish. But it is the inconsistency that makes the punishments a bit harsh. These issues seem to going on everywhere from Ohio State to nearly every SEC school. The NCAA must use the same guidelines for each team and not pick on random institutions to make examples out of.
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