Reggie Bush sues USC, Pac-12 and NCAA to seek NIL compensation from football career 2 decades ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Southern California soccer star Reggie Bush has filed a lawsuit in opposition to his college, the NCAA and the Pac-12 in a bid to recoup cash made on his title, picture and likeness throughout his profession with the Trojans twenty years in the past.

In a short information launch from Bush’s attorneys asserting the submitting Monday, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback’s representatives declare he needs to be paid “to deal with and rectify ongoing injustices stemming from the exploitation of Reggie Bush’s title, picture, and likeness throughout his tenure as a USC soccer participant.”

“This case is not only about searching for justice for Reggie Bush,” legal professional Evan Selik stated in an announcement. “It’s about setting a precedent for the truthful therapy of all faculty athletes. Our objective is to rectify this injustice and pave the way in which for a system the place athletes are rightfully acknowledged, compensated and handled pretty for his or her contributions.”

Bush was one of the crucial thrilling gamers in latest faculty soccer historical past throughout his three years at USC from 2003-05 whereas profitable two nationwide titles and the Heisman. He went on to an 11-year NFL profession.

Bush forfeited his Heisman in 2010 after USC was hit with huge sanctions partly associated to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports activities entrepreneurs. The Heisman Belief restored the dignity earlier this yr and returned the trophy to Bush, citing elementary modifications within the construction of school athletics over the previous 14 years.

Bush remains to be pursuing the separate defamation lawsuit he filed in opposition to the NCAA final yr over the governing physique’s 2021 characterization of the circumstances that led to Bush’s troubles.

It’s unclear how the brand new lawsuit will have an effect on Bush’s relationship with USC, which had been very hot this yr.

The college was ordered to disassociate from Bush for 10 years after the 2010 NCAA ruling, however USC had welcomed again Bush and hailed the return of his Heisman Trophy whereas returning his No. 5 to its place of honor amongst USC’s eight banners for its Heisman winners on the Peristyle on the Coliseum. Bush was scheduled to steer the present Trojans out of the Coliseum tunnel at an undetermined recreation later this season.

“We respect that the brand new administration at USC is attempting to select up the items of the previous administrations’ unjust and improper dealing with of Reggie Bush,” Levi McCathern, the legal professional additionally dealing with Bush’s separate lawsuit in opposition to the NCAA. “Nevertheless, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”

USC didn’t instantly return a request from The Related Press for touch upon Bush’s new submitting.

Bush is just the most recent former athlete to hunt compensation by means of the courts this yr for his or her prior athletic careers underneath the brand new guidelines in faculty athletics.

Denard Robinson and Braylon Edwards had been amongst a number of former Michigan stars who sued the NCAA and the Huge Ten Community earlier this month. In June, a gaggle of 10 gamers on NC State’s 1983 NCAA championship-winning basketball crew sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Firm to hunt compensation to be used of their names, pictures and likenesses.

The NCAA and main faculty conferences are at present making an attempt to settle three antitrust lawsuits associated to NIL compensation for athletes. There’s a settlement settlement in place to pay $2.78 billion to a whole bunch of 1000’s of school athletes.

The NCAA modified its guidelines in 2021 to permit athletes to earn money by means of sponsorship and endorsement offers after fiercely preventing in opposition to it for many years.

___

AP faculty soccer: and