Reggie Bush seems like a good guy. His teammates and even his opponents usually only had good things to say about him.
I was watching Outside the Lines today and it was clear that he has been very charitable to his new home in New Orleans. Lending a helping hand himself and using his endorsement deals to better the community. Pepsi, Subway, and Adidas have donated large sums of money to the Katrina relief effort as part of their endorsement deal with Reggie Bush. It is very cool that Reggie and Ornstein would make sure that whoever endorsed Reggie would also donate to Katrina relief.
Sure this is a brilliant PR move by Ornstein and Bush, but it is a PR move that benefits everybody. Reggie himself has taken a very personal interest in how this money was used. Choosing and overseeing the reconstruction of several local high school football stadiums. Stadiums that were once flooded and covered in debris are now clean and green. Reggie Bush is making a difference on and off the field.
Off the field difference has not been all positive though. While Bush is rebuilding New Orleans and the Saints he may have left his Trojans in shambles. USC's future is in major jeopardy. Bush and Ornstein's relationship was undeniably violating NCAA rules and it was under the watch of Pete Carroll. I don't think this investigation will affect Reggie's play on the field. Even if he loses his Heisman (which I am against) it will more than likely only motivate him more on the football field. USC on the other hand could and most likely should face major sanctions and lose future scholarships.
The rise of the Saints and the fall of the Trojans is upon us.
It has been reported that Lee Pheifer a partner of Mike Ornstein (the head scum in this ordeal) was investigated by the NCAA this week. Pheifer has nothing to hide because he is angry with Ornstein for negated his end of the deal. Yahoo! believes that Pheifer has additional documentation proving that Ornstein paid for additional trips for the Bush family.
There is also a rumour going around that Yahoo! has proof that the coaches at USC knew of these violations. The rumour is that they are just finalizing some of this info and will come out with it soon.
In addition the FBI is also investigating the agents involved in a conspiracy to take advantage of Reggie Bush's riches.
So NCAA, Pac-10, Yahoo!, and the FBI are all hot on the USC and Reggie Bush trail. Reggie is already a millionaire and while this could cost him his Heisman and some endorsements he will be forgiven for his future greatness in the NFL. Hopefully the agents get punished hard so they can not mess up other kids lives. Also I hope Bush's parents are punished in some way, but honestly they are millionaires now too. So USC is the one that is going to be hurt the most. Sanctions and lost scholarships are definetely on the way.
So Pete Carroll and the USC are in some deep $#@! Petey's super star running back Reggie Bush is reported to have been an ineligible athlete the last two seasons. Here are a few of the dozens of questions I have....
Is it fair that if Pete Carroll quits once these monster sanctions are dropped that he will just move on to the NFL or another college coaching job while leaving his university in shambles?
I don't think so. Coaches sanctions should follow them to at least their next college job. If they can't head coach for a couple years than so be it.
If you were Carroll would you have turned a blind eye to all of Reggie's off field favors?
Maybe so but Carroll took it to a huge extreme.
I am shocked that Petey was letting this Ornstein and his other marketing/agent guys hang out in the locker room. He had to know who he was and how much rule potential for rule breaking is imminent with an agent in the LOCKERROOM.
But that is just the begining. Yahoo! reports that this Ornstein was on the sidelines during practice and even at GAMES!!!! To me that just makes it all the more obvious that Carroll knew something scandalous was going on and turned a blind eye.
Obviously Reggie Bush and his family has to take the majority of responsibility, but I have to put a whale of alot more responisbility on the ol ball coach if he was letting these guys hang around the locker and the field. This is far from a hear no evil see no evil approach. This is "hey evil come to the game... chill in the lockerroom."
Here is a question... If Reggie Bush loses his Heisman, should Pete Carroll be stripped of the numerous coach of the year awards he earned the last couple years? My vote at the moment would have to be yes.
Last question? If even half of these allegations are proven to be true and most importantly Pete Carroll and his staff were letting these guys hang around their players. How hard should the NCAA penalize the school?
I think they have to be hit pretty hard. At least three years without a bowl game. Students should have the option to transfer without sitting out a year since it is not their fault, and you obviously have to drop a hard hammer on the scholarships. ESPECIALLY if it si true that these agents were hanging around the field and lockerroom all the time. If it was once or twice and Carroll kicked them out that would be one thing. But it sounds more like they were around all the time.
Reggie Bush got ripped off. We are talking about one of the greatest college athletes of all time and this is all he got? New Era Entertainment and USC got the steal of a century. I am pretty sure Matt Leinhart was making alot more than that, and he would not have accomplished half of what he did without Reggie Bush.
So lets just call it like it is. Indentured servitude for the University, the Entertainment company, and the Pac-10. I am more appalled that this is ALL Bush was getting. USC, NCAA, the Pac-10 and the NEE should all pay Bush what he was worth and give him a direct percentage of all the money he earned them in the National Championship games and Heisman hype etc.
If you want to suspend USC and take away schollies or whatever. That is fine but don't take Reggie's Heisman. If anything Reggie deserves TWO Heisman trophies not one.
Something about living in Seattle and watching the Mariners drown in last place in the worst division in the American League just really builds up an appetite for football.
I love the Seahawks and the Huskies football teams, but the great thing about football is that I can watch any team and be pumped about the game. Last night I channel surfed between the Beavers pummelling of Eastern Washington on FSN while Seahawks were running all over the Raiders on NBC! The games really didn't matter one was OSU vs. EWU and the other was pre-season. BUT IT WAS FOOTBALL!!!
So much better than watching the Mariners lose a real close baseball game in the regular season. I love baseball. I even try to go to the desert and catch Spring Training. But when the season is over I am not shedding any tears and when my team is losing I start daydreaming of football real soon. Football is special. Hell I am not even sick of hearing about TO drama yet.
You don't get up early on Saturday to watch college baseball teams from all over the country play all day.
If I started singing "Are you ready for some baseball" at work during a regular Monday, I am pretty sure everyone would just stare at me. But we will get up Monday morning smiling on our way to work knowing that after the long day a football game between two teams we most likely could care less about are going to play each other. Its football.
I have tickets for the Washington Huskies vs. super power San Jose St. The two teams combined for a total of 5 wins last season. OUCH!! I can honestly tell you I have been thinking about this game every minute of every day all week. I have been losing sleep to see a couple of under achieving teams go at it. Sure it is the season opener and I have hope for drastic improvement from last season, but really I am just fired up to see college football.
Conversely I went to the Red Sox vs. Mariners game last week. Good game. M's won!! But the only time I thought about that game was on my way to it and I was wondering if I was going to be able to find free parking? I did. I have a small car. Saves gas and usually finds free parking.
That is the difference between football and baseball. One we enjoy because we are sportsnutts. The other we can barely live without.
So I am at my gym today getting in a little cardio. I hate cardio. And for some readon 4 of the 6 TV's are showing price is right and NONE are on the usual ESPN or FSN. Thats ridiculous. Since you can only see the TV's while on cardio and I don't cardio long I was too lazy to complain - being lazy at the gymn(I don't remember if there is an n at the end I don't think so but I am too lazy to spell check so I just typed it once with the N and one without) sad I know. Anyway I am watching PIR and remembered I really don't like Bob Barker. He is nice and older than dirt I am sure, but I just keep thinking of when he punched Happy Gilmore and I don't like him - granted he still has toxic honey's giving away prizes on the show.
Where am I going with this? Well one of the dorky college contestants was wearing his dorky USC sweatshirt and that got me thinking about the whole Reggie Bush stuff. You know his parents getting bought the house from a marketing/ pro agent firm. I think it is easy to have the first reaction of how dumb is the Bush family? But then I got to think if I was just finishing my freshman year of college and some smart people in suits wanted to give my pretty poor parents a big old house and all I had to do was sign with them in a couple years when I went pro- I WOULD DO IT TOO!!! They have to know more than me right? They promise its not breaking any rule or we can't get caught etc etc. and hey what kind of selfish kid am I to not give my parents a crib.
The other thing that #### me off is that there is all this chat of taking his HEISMAN..... for what?? Boosters weren't paying him his parents just got a house. Plus its TOO LATE!!! I am sick of this Chris Webberish take trophies and wins etc. etc. after you have already awarded them. There has to be some sort of TIME amount where you can get busted. Bush is a pro football player now and they wan't to try to erase one of the greatest Heisman Trophy Winners after the fact. If you catch them in season... then yeah its fair game. But your TOO SLOW NCAA/ MEDIA/ WHOEVER!!!
Last word on Reggie Bush. The Houston Texans will regret passing on Bush for EVER EVER EVER EVER!!!! Mario Williams is NO Reggie White and that is what it would take to be what Bush will be. Bush WILL electrify the NFL he is one of a kind. Congrats to the Saints they got Drew Brees and Reggie Bush - they deserve it after dirty old Katrina.
JC
Tru dat, tru dat.
U know I can't stand haters. Leave Reggie and what he did in college alone. Punish the school if you must, but he is in the NFL now and his college career is over. Too bad the hate isn't over. People are even making a big deal of him wearing the #5. That's his number, let him wear it!!!
He is Reggie Bush. I let him wear anything on his jersey, from his high school number or college number to his social security number or his baby mama's phone number! There is a Bush in our country worthy of critism and scrutiny, and that Bush don't play football.
As for PIR, I can't hate on Bob Barker. The man stands the test of time. Name me a better game show host! Who u got- Sajak...Seacrest...Regis? Puhlease. The show is still going strong and Bob even overcame the ginormous void of Rod Roddy. ROD freakin' RODDY. Nuff said.
