Heisman's Bush move is a slippery slope that leads to Florida’s football trophy case

The Heisman Trust gave Reggie Bush his trophy back last week. A line for similar forgiveness has quickly formed.

It features a rogues’ gallery that stretches back decades. You can spot Lance Armstrong and Michigan’s Fab Five.

Hey, there’s the Florida football team that delivered UF’s first SEC Championship trophy in 1984!

Rick Pitino jumped in line early when he declared last month that his 2013 Louisville basketball team should have its national championship restored.

“Sooner or later, the NCAA is going to get smart and do two things,” Pitino said. “Put that championship banner back, and the second thing the Heisman people will do is give that Heisman Trophy back to Reggie Bush.”

One down. How many more to go?

That’s a pertinent question if you think the Heisman’s decision set some sort of precedent. If Bush got his trophy back, why can’t everybody who was disqualified for breaking the rules?

Dare I say because rules are rules? And when rules change, it doesn’t mean the people who once broke them should be automatically absolved.

I could say that, but it wouldn’t go over well in the Heisman House or a lot of other places. His many fans think a great wrong has been righted and a historical precedent has been set.

There are a couple of problems with that. First, the Heisman Trust has no connection to the SEC, the NCAA, the IOC or any other governing body that could restore championships.

Second, the Heisman Trust blew it.

“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,” a spokesman said. “We are so happy to welcome him back.”

Thanks to NIL, players are allowed to cash in 2024. That apparently makes it okay that guys like Eric Dickerson took a Trans Am from Texas A&M boosters in 1979 and drove it to SMU, where he enrolled and filled his pockets with Mustang money.

Such logic would make our Founding Fathers scratch their heads. The Constitution they wrote prohibits Congress from passing any laws ex post facto.

That means you can’t criminalize conduct that was legal when it was originally performed. Similarly, unethical conduct shouldn’t be magically justified by modern-day whims.

“What Reggie did then is legal now,” said Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman winner who led the campaign to reinstate Bush.

Pro tip: If Johnny Manziel ever offers ethical advice to your kids, cover their ears.

That raises another justification for restoring Bush’s 2005 Heisman. Every winner (except Tim Tebow, of course) probably got at least a $100 handshake in college. Why single out Reggie?

Because USC got caught.

No, the NCAA’s Keystone Cops didn’t catch every car going 97 mph. Should we retroactively forgive the Trojan speedster it nabbed?

Serious question to Florida Highway Patrol: Can I get the money back I paid in 1991 for breaking the 55 mph turnpike speed limit?

I don’t want to relitigate the 40-year-old UF vs. NCAA drama, but somewhere in the 107 violations, the Gators probably got an advantage that helped them win a game or two.

At least they didn’t have to return a national championship trophy, like Louisville and Pitino. Among other violations, the NCAA said an assistant arranged “striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others.”

Should Brandi and Jasmine get their official UL National Championship satin jackets back?

There is a case to be made for forgiveness. Maybe that’s what prompted Tebow to celebrate Bush’s return to the Heisman House.

“One of the greatest to ever play!” he posted on X.

Forgiveness, however, usually requires contrition.

Bush has defiantly maintained his innocence, saying he never took an illicit dime at USC. He never mentions the cash and rent-free house an agent provided Bush’s family.

I’m not sure that’d be okay even under NIL rules, but why get bogged down in details? The Reggie Restoration is rolling, and it might be coming to a defrocked team near you.

“Reggie IS the Heisman trophy,” Manziel proclaimed.

They’re already planning a big party after next season’s Heisman ceremony. Somebody call Pitino. It'd be fitting if Brandi and Jasmine could provide the entertainment.

David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Heisman's Bush move is not a precedent to forgive all past sins