Tony Dungy: If I Were Reggie Bush, I'd Return Heisman

Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday on the Dan Patrick Show that he would give back the Heisman Trophy if he were Reggie Bush.

"If I'm Reggie Bush I give back the trophy and say you know what, I was the best player in college football," Dungy explained. "You know that. And I know that regardless of what may or may not have happened off the field, I was the best player. So here, you take the trophy but you won't take the memories."

Yahoo! Sports reported on Tuesday that the Heisman Trophy Trust will strip Bush of his Heisman Trophy, making him the first player in the 75-year history of the award to lose the honor.

The New Orleans Saints running back said on Wednesday that the status of his trophy is out of his hands.

The NCAA already imposed sanctions on the USC football program for violating athletic recruitment rules.

Comments

[RJPasadena]

02:29 PM on 09/12/2010

Why don't these colleges go after the company that PAID and GAVE Reggie these gifts and money? NO they won't stop the money flowing into the football program. I think it should be on the coaches and the school to make sure these young people are not tempted and seduced by gifts and money. They know these kids background sometimes since they were in middle school. They have been scouting them, talking to their parents, for years to get them to sign and come to their school. To see a player who came from a family that can not afford a Hummer, drive one to practice daily and Rolex watches etc. (not that Reggie had a Rolex watch but he did drive a Hummer), don't claim you did not know about it. Coach Carroll knew and all the other coaches knew but turned a blind eye to what was happening as long as he was playing well and they were winning.

[Kenyatta J Yamel]

02:13 PM on 09/12/2010

Coach Dungy is one of the finest men in America and he was an excellent coach. If he gave me some advice, I'd take it.

[Randomizer]

10:19 AM on 09/12/2010

Coach Dungy is a laugh riot getting on a moral high-horse about everything. I know that he's being prompted for his comments, but man this guy throws bricks at a glass house he's been living in for the past 20 years. From his complaints about Rex Ryan's language to this one, it's a wonder he even goes out of the house. Judge not, coach...

[jayquintana]

09:36 AM on 09/12/2010

If I were Bush, I'd give them the Heisman back and say, "put it where the sun don't shine you hypocrites!"

[AbeMartin]

08:57 AM on 09/12/2010

Coach Dungy is spot on with his suggestion.  Bush was and continues to be a dominant player and is hardly the only collegiate athlete known to have violated NCAA's anachronistic rules against accepting favors from boosters, while their schools collect millions of dollars in ticket sales, television and appearance revenues, equipment from Nike, Nike, Addidas and corporate sponsors, and huge donations from slavering fans.  Among the other winners who should have had their trophy stripped are Paul Hornung and O.J.Simpson, but that never happened.  This is the same nonsense that led the International Olympic Committee to strip Jim Thorpe of his gold medals from the 1912 games for accepting a $5 payment for playing in a semi-pro baseball game. 

The Downtown Athletic Club is no longer a club and hasn't even pretended to have any facilities since the headquarters were damaged on September 11, 2001.  Their only activity is selection of the winner and having their little media event every year.  And the idea that the selection is actually based on criteria other than media attention (as in Tim Tebow) is just as fictive as the notion that there is only one player out of all of the NCAA  Divisions who is the best offensive player in the country.

[usameos6]

06:41 AM on 09/12/2010

I think he should give the trophy back as soon as U$C gives back the millions of dollars that it made from selling his jersey, memorabilia and image. It's time that we quit pretending that amateurism and college football have anything to do with one another. It's a business.

The sad thing is that I can see this getting down to a high school level next with ESPN starting to televise high school football games, decisions players make on signing day, etc. etc. etc.

[kenyaw]

01:07 PM on 09/12/2010

Good one! I forgot that they make millions off of the high school players too. SMH

[MrsFonebone]

06:37 PM on 09/11/2010

Tony's right.

[Mike McGee]

11:39 AM on 09/11/2010

The trophy is awarded for performance on the football field, period. And why do we still insist that there be amateurism in college sports? purity of the game???? If we are going to strip Reggie, let us not forget Billy Cannon.

[MrsFonebone]

06:37 PM on 09/11/2010

He wasn't eligible to play.

[anpu]

08:56 PM on 09/11/2010

He was eligible to play. That is why he played the entire season. The NCAA found him guilty AFTER the fact and said he was not eligible to play. That means he was the best college football player when he was awarded the Heisman Trophy. I say the let him keep the trophy and move on.

As for Dungy, I have tremendous respect for him, but "integrity" and "football" don't go together. People need to quit acting like it does.

[Kenyatta J Yamel]

11:21 AM on 09/11/2010

I'd follow Dungy's advice. He's a fine man, very wise, and it would be a good way for Bush to begin putting the mess behind him. He didn't force USC to be unethical and he can use this experience for the future.

[an]

05:23 PM on 09/11/2010

what are you talking about? usc never gave bush any money. he took money from a guy on the street. basically the guy bought his mother a house in san diego. then bush refused to give the money back when he signed a big deal in the nfl. so the guy sued him. that's how he got caught. this is all on bush. the only blame of usc is not looking after their players more to see what they are up to.

[GeorgioSutton]

11:00 AM on 09/11/2010

Makes you wonder how many other players accepted unlawful benefits during their collegiate careers....oh wait, none of them were as electric as Reggie Bush was in college. It's pretty safe to say plenty of players take unlawful benefits..so drop it. Reggie made a mistake and this should, in no way, tarnish what he did on the field.

[an]

05:29 PM on 09/11/2010

just look around the league at all the schools that are under investigation right at this moment, then combine it with all that have already been caught. honestly, they all do it. there's so much money on the line. they all do it. spend some time at a large school, and you'll see these kids driving nice cars and stuff, and you wonder how in the world they afford it coming from disadvantaged families. i still think that schools and players that get caught should be punished. i think the ncaa is so corrupt as is, particularly around basketball, and openly paying players would just make it worse.

[anpu]

09:02 PM on 09/11/2010

Openly paying players makes it worse for the sport?!

Donnie Edwards played for UCLA which is in one of the most expensive areas to live in the entire state of California. He took money from an agent to purchase groceries so he could eat. I repeat, he took money to purches GROCERIES!!! Sounds a little unfair that a player making tens of millions of dollars for his school did not have enough money to purchase food. But, his coach was making an NFL salary and that included a shoe contract.

So, once again, who would hit hurt to start giving players money?

[Mister Biggles]

10:29 AM on 09/11/2010

I was one of the people who gave Charlie Casserly **** for that draft.

Mario Williams looks like a genius pick right about now.

[Mister Biggles]

10:28 AM on 09/11/2010

Reggie Bush is the most overrated player in the NFL and one of the most overrated in NFL history.

He lost his job to an undrafted free agent.

He's a poor, poor man's version of Dante Hall.

[GeorgioSutton]

10:58 AM on 09/11/2010

He's not bad...he plays a pretty significant roll on the team. I know this sounds insane to someone who, assumingly, expected Reggie to come into the league and treat professional players the way he treated much less skilled college players but he isn't bad. He came into the league with a gigantic target on him...what do you expect. It's obvious the transition to the pros isn't going to be a piece of cake.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

11:18 AM on 09/11/2010

Pretty significant role? Drafted number 2? You better be the difference maker.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

11:18 AM on 09/11/2010

I could not agree more.

[djnc]

09:33 AM on 09/11/2010

getting kinda tired of tony dungy's input on anything and everything

[plzchuteme]

10:11 AM on 09/11/2010

Then talk to the people who ask him the questions.

[an]

01:28 AM on 09/11/2010

i'm not sure about what bush should do, the heisman collective either. but i do know i am tired of dungy's sanctimoniousness and self righteousness. i just get tired of people acting as if they are the end all be all of what is right and wrong. particularly if they done nothing more than coach a football team.

[plzchuteme]

07:37 AM on 09/11/2010

What would he have had to do to give him the right to express his opinion when asked? He was a successful college player, a successful professional player, a successful assistant coach, and a successful head coach. What pedigree does he need? He has an opinion, just as you or I, and if asked, the polite thing to do is to answer the question truthfully. If you read his response carefully, he comes down on Reggie's side. You can take away the trophy, but you can't take away the accomplishments, and the accomplishments are what matters. Just because Vince Young didn't receive the trophy, does that diminish what he accomplished? I don't always agree with Tony, but he is a consistent straight shooter, and if the chips were down, I'd want him on my side.

[an]

04:46 PM on 09/11/2010

to me, i don't have a problem with dungy giving his opinion on things, all sports commentators do. it's more this attitude that this guy walks on water or someting. i'm really sick of it.

[huffyISaHottie]

08:19 AM on 09/11/2010

an, you are dead on about dungy..the man couldn't take care of his own house but seems to know what's best for all...

[Mister Biggles]

10:25 AM on 09/11/2010

Exactly.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

11:20 AM on 09/11/2010

Dungy is annoying and sanctimonious, but that's a cheap shot.

That's a very cheap shot.

[unconfessed]

11:32 PM on 09/10/2010

Leave Tony alone! How can anyone hate Tony Dungy?