The interesting news today in the self-destructive sport of college football, as former USC running back Reggie Bush is getting his Heisman Trophy “returned” to him (one week-plus after a different USC RB Heisman winner passed away). We find this news to be entertaining on at least 2 levels: first, Bush never should have won it in the first place, and second, the won trophy never should have been stripped, either.

The rationale for restoring his trophy is this, evidently: “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.” How funny, since the NCAA’s case against Bush was legally shredded in U.S. court a long time ago. Taking this moral high ground bullshit only flies with the mediots.

We explained this, too, in our 2004 mythical national title analysis, which had been “stripped” for the same nonsense. The NCAA had a vendetta against USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett—ironically, a former Heisman winner himself—for being defiant in the face of investigation (sound familiar, Michigan?), and so it got all medieval on the Trojans’ collective ass to show the nation that no one stands up to the NCAA.

Penitent schools like Kansas and North Carolina avoided due punishment for cheating, because the institutions were publicly on their knees. But USC didn’t play nice, as it knew there were no legal issues (as later proven in court) to disclose. Perhaps when the law is not on your side, you shouldn’t get all medieval, eh, NCAA? But the organization’s laughable choices on which schools to punish is basically the same as MLB.

That’s why you see little random schools get penalized for something insignificant, because it won’t cost anyone any monies. But it’s not the same for the major sports—where the NCAA will sit silent until the money is banked … and then maybe it will step in if and only if the fan base of a big school would be lost to the bandwagon mentality if/when a program was put in the penalty box for any significant time. The N¢AA!

Every penny counts, folks … Your pennies, whether via tax dollars or direct product spending.

[As for Bush not deserving the 2005 Heisman, read here why we awarded our Heisman to Vince Young. Meanwhile, we will wait patiently still for the NCAA to do the right thing in stripping Charles Woodson and Cam Newton of their undeserved Heismans, too.]