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April 24 (UPI) -- Former USC running back Reggie Bush will have his 2005 Heisman Trophy returned to him after the Heisman Trophy Trust considered "enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years," the group announced Wednesday. "No one can take from you what God has for you," Bush wrote Wednesday on Instagram.
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Bush returned the Heisman Trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust in 2010 after an NCAA investigation determined he received money and other benefits while playing for the Trojans.
The NCAA allowed athletes to start earning money from name, image and likeness deals as of July 1, 2021, potentially opening the door for Bush to have his accomplishments put back in the record books.
"We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments," Michael Comerford, president of the Heisman Trophy Trust, said in a news release.
"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."
The Heisman Trophy Trust said it "closely monitored" the changes to the "college football landscape" before deciding to return the trophy to Bush.
"Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the trophy to Bush, who unquestionably was the most outstanding college football player of 2005," the Heisman Trophy Trust said.
Bush, a 2023 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, totaled 4,470 yards from scrimmage during his Trojans tenure, the third-most in school history. He led the nation with 2,218 yards from scrimmage and scored 19 times during his 2005 campaign.
The NCAA's four-year probe into Bush's reception of benefits while at USC concluded in 2010. The investigation resulted in the sanctions against Bush, including his 10-year dissociation from the Trojans program.
The sanctions against USC were a two-year bowl ban, 14 vacated wins -- including a BCS football championship -- and the loss of 30 scholarships. USC also forfeited its replica of Bush's Heisman Trophy.
Bush, who has denied he was paid to play football at USC, filed a defamation lawsuit last year against the NCAA, citing a statement from the college sports governing body that implied he participated in a "pay-for-play" scheme.
As part of Wednesday's announcement, the Heisman Trust returned the replica to USC, as well as the original to Bush. The college football icon also will be invited to all future Heisman Trophy ceremonies. including the 90th ceremony later this year.
