Friday, September 15, 2006

Reggie Bush: Getting Paid Before Payday...

(Reggie Bush posing with his {possibly} soon to be a memory, Heisman Trophy)


Allegedly Reggie Bush and his family received over $100,000 in benefits from marketing agents before his career in the NFL began.
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The report was based on an eight-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports, citing documents and interviews with on-the-record sources close to the situation. It lists several instances in which Bush and his family appear to have received financial benefits, including:
• Suits for Bush's stepfather and brother to wear during the Dec. 10, 2005, Heisman ceremony in New York, a makeover for his mother for the event and limousine transportation -- all paid for by Ornstein.
• Two hotel stays by Bush, one in Las Vegas and another in San Diego, in March 2005. In both instances, the rooms were paid for by Michael Michaels, a marketing agency investor who wanted to represent the football star.
• $13,000 from Michaels' fledgling firm, New Era Sports & Entertainment, to purchase and modify a car for Bush.
• $595.20 in round-trip airfare from San Diego to Oakland in November 2005 for Bush's stepfather, LaMar Griffin, his mother, Denise Griffin and younger brother to attend the USC-California game at Berkeley. The charges were put on a credit card belonging to Jamie Fritz, one of Ornstein's employees. (Continue)

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If this is actually true (which I'm sure that it is), USC faces more penalties than Reggie Bush. They could possibly be stripped of their national championships, etc while he could lose his Heisman Trophy. I personally have no sympathy for that though. Let's say this is true, and he loses his Heisman or whatever. BIG DEAL! The fact that the school could suffer is the bad part about this. The NCAA has a lot of rules (some may even be misunderstood), BUT everybody knows that when you're on (athletic) scholoarship, you can't receive money, gifts, etc. You walk a fine line in that area while you're a student athlete. I don't understand the impatience of stand out players. It was almost a given from the time Reggie Bush began his collegiate career that he would move on to the next level SO, why not resist deceitful agents, and follow the rules? Pay day, for Bush, was coming soon enough. AND I don't like to hear that crap about student athletes struggling and finding it hard to turn down all the "extras." SO WHAT! There are students who struggle everyday AND guess what: they're not on scholarship (hence struggling to even stay in school), they don't play any sports (meaning they don't even have the option to take or turn down money), AND they can't even see millions of dollars in their immediate future like some stand out student athletes can. SO, if these allegations are true...I feel sympathy for the University of Southern California. I feel sympathy for all the athletes who played on the championship teams with Bush who followed the rules, and could possibly have those titles taken away.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The NCAA really should change there rules a school should not be penalized for a player no longer a part of the program.Meaning Reggie Bush should not lose his Heisman either.As far as him passing up on the money while on scholarship sounds like someone who wasn't on scholarship to me.Getting school paid for or not if you are struggling and need help take it,especially if someone is willing to help.But have these allegations been said to be true yet? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

It's no surprise about this. So many athletes receive improper benefits. Some you find out about and some you don't. It's just one of those things.

Anonymous said...

I know that the student athletes at schools like USC mad the universities mad money. Some even say that they should be paid. It may not be fair that they make the university so much cash and they don't get anything, besides that HUGE FULL scholarship they get. They go to college knowing that they are not allowed to take ANYTHING from ANYONE. They act they it's sooooo fucking hard for them to function, like's they're any different from anybody else. I have lots a lot of respect of Reggie, and his parents. They weren't grown enough to tell him to hold on and wait a whole damn 2 years til he got draft?? Greedy asses.