Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush has filed a lawsuit against USC, the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA seeking compensation for their use of his name, image and likeness while he was a star collegiate running back decades ago and years after he left the Trojans.
“Reggie Bush received all the accolades a college football athlete could receive during his three years playing football at USC,” a lawsuit filed by Bush’s attorneys Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court states. “And while Bush received the accolades, Defendants, NCAA, USC, and the Pac-12 Conference received all the money,
“Millions upon millions of dollars of money, all derived directly from Reggie Bush’s name, image and likeness. To this day, all Defendants continue to profit from Reggie Bush’s name, image, and likeness without compensating Bush one penny.”
Bush is seeking a share of those earnings — including those that have come from TV and other lucrative licensing and sponsorship deals — as well as an injunction preventing the defendants from using his name, image and likeness for financial gain again.
“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush; it’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes,” Evan Selik, an attorney representing Bush, said in a statement Monday. “Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions.”
During his three seasons at USC, Bush helped the Trojans earn the Associated Press national championship in 2003 and 2004 and win the BCS title in 2004. He also won the Heisman in 2005. At the time, NCAA rules prevented athletes from being compensated for the use of their names, images or likenesses.
In 2010, the NCAA determined that Bush and his family had accepted improper benefits during his time as a USC athlete and imposed numerous penalties and sanctions on the school. As part of the fallout, a good chunk of Bush’s statistics were no longer officially recognized, which led to him having to return his 2005 Heisman.
“When Bush was playing football at USC, all Defendants precluded Bush from receiving any financial benefits claiming that certain rules were in place and necessary to promote the NCAA’s principle of ‘amateurism’ and to preserve ‘a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports,’” the lawsuit states.
“Reggie Bush has a property interest in his public personality and should have the sole right to benefit from and restrict its commercial use.”
Three years ago, the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness, a decision that helped lead to Bush getting his Heisman back in April. In August 2023, Bush sued the NCAA claiming defamation, announcing the lawsuit during a news conference at the site of his college football glories, the Coliseum.
“We appreciate that the new administration at USC is trying to pick up the pieces of the former administrations’ unjust and improper handling of Reggie Bush,” Levi G. McCathern II, another attorney representing Bush, said in a statement, “however, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”
USC emailed a statement to The Times on Monday afternoon.
“Reggie will always be a revered member of the Trojan Family, and we were very pleased to support his successful efforts to recover his Heisman Trophy,” the university stated. “We have not received a copy of the lawsuit so we are unable to address its allegations.”
The Pac-12 declined to comment for this article. The NCAA did not respond to a request for comment.
