A majority of the time, those associated with UCLA will look for the smallest reason to heckle their USC counterparts, and vice versa.
One such issue that the UCLA contingent has lately had a field day with has been the allegations regarding Reggie Bush receiving illegal benefits during his tenure at USC.
But now that it’s been all but proven that Bush accepted these benefits, new USC athletic director Pat Haden has opted to return the school’s copy of Bush’s Heisman Trophy, in addition to removing all Bush paraphernalia from the campus and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
And what do you know? The Trojans got it wrong again.
Let’s play out a possible scenario of what these young superstar athletes’ lives must be like on a daily basis, especially in the case of Bush.
“Hello, young man. I realize that you may be from a poor community and your family struggles financially. Considering you are working so hard everyday to help your team succeed, why not let me and my colleagues help you and your family out? You deserve it, especially considering how much money the school makes off of your outstanding ability. And I promise you, no one will ever find out.”
Now, what 18-year-old, especially a young black or Latino male from a low-income household, would say no to the pitch that I just presented?
I can’t honestly say that I wouldn’t have considered it when I was 18.
And in a lot of cases, athletics are the only avenue that these kids have. They have very little parental guidance, a father figure is often not present, money is sparse and they are forced to provide for themselves, legally or illegally.
So if I’m Reggie Bush, the greatest player in the history of USC football, the school is making millions off of me alone, my coach is rich off of me alone and I fill up every stadium I step foot into, I’m thinking, “Why am I the only one not benefiting from all of this?”
The NFL isn’t like the NBA; money is not guaranteed. If you get drafted and sign a contract, but break your ankle in practice, you aren’t guaranteed anything past the current season. Basically, football players need to get it the best way they see fit.
Let’s take another USC football player into consideration.
Joe McKnight, a former Trojan running back, was caught driving a Land Rover SUV around Los Angeles that supposedly belonged to a Santa Monica businessman.
So what?
Hurricane Katrina destroyed McKnight’s home in Louisiana, along with a significant portion of his high school football career.
Another hypothetical situation:
“Hey Joe, I know about what happened to your family with Hurricane Katrina. I’m so sorry. If you ever need access to a car or anything, here are the keys to my brand new Land Rover.”
Why would McKnight say no to that, especially after having everything taken from him a year prior?
Now let’s look at the NCAA.
The NCAA sells replica jerseys of these college athletes, grossing huge amounts of money. The athletes see none of it. NCAA football video games make millions of dollars each year. Again, the college athletes see no money.
Explain to me again how that is OK, yet Joe McKnight isn’t allowed to drive a guy’s Land Rover around the corner without it being the feature of the “Five Good Minutes” segment on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.
I get it. College kids should not accept special benefits from outside sources. I’m not advocating that, but let’s put ourselves in the shoes of these college kids before we pass judgment.
And in the Trojans’ case, the worst possible move that could be made has been made. Throwing Bush under the bus is unfair, unjust and unreasonable. What do his off-the-field decisions have to do with the two national championships he helped bring to USC? What do his off-the-field mistakes have to do with bringing pride to the university in the form of another Heisman Trophy?
Is the plan to just act like he never existed?
That’s a big mistake, my Trojan friends, one that should and will come back to bite you.