Johnny Manziel has his say after Reggie Bush's Heisman award: "Only a matter of time until we see the demise of the NCAA forever"

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel, was one of the biggest voices in support of former USC Trojans running back Reggie Bush getting his Heisman reinstated. Manziel even said he would boycott future ceremonies until the condition was met.

During a recent interview on "The Favorites Podcast," Manziel, who has been credited as the catalyst for the reinstatement in some quarters, went after the NCAA in a big way.

"The first thing I thought of whenever he got it back was, (expletive) the NCAA, you know," Manziel said. "They deserve everything they have coming to them. It's only a matter of time until we see the demise of the NCAA forever. I'll be sitting here with a bucket of popcorn and my Heisman Trophy right next to me, waiting for that day that I see that alert."

During his Heisman-winning season with Texas A&M in 2012, Johnny Manziel was also investigated by the NCAA for allegedly accepting cash benefits in exchange for his autograph.

Johnny Manziel solo fight for Reggie Bush's Heisman

The NCAA released a statement in 2021 alleging that Reggie Bush was involved in a pay-to-play scheme that led to sanctions against the USC Trojans. The investigations had the knock-on effect of Bush losing his 2005 Heisman Trophy.

After 2021, when student-athletes were allowed to earn from name, image and likeness, Bush requested for his trophy to be reinstated, and that was declined, which led to the former running back suing the NCAA for defamation.

In March, Johnny Manziel stepped in and threatened to never attend another Heisman ceremony if Bush's trophy was not reinstated. Manziel has only attended one such ceremony since his win in 2012.

"After careful thought and consideration, I will be humbly removing myself from the Heisman trophy ceremony until Reggie Bush gets his trophy back," Johnny Manziel wrote. "Doesn't sit right with my morals and values that he can't be on that stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman trophy. Do the RIGHT thing NCAA. The ball is in your court."

The Heisman Trust reinstating Bush's trophy was met with mixed reviews in the sports world, with some analysts against it while others called the move well overdue, coming fourteen years after Bush had surrendered it.

Johnny Manziel has been credited as the lone voice that perhaps swung the barometer toward Reggie Bush getting his Heisman back, with the threat of extreme measures bringing pressure to bear on the Heisman Trust.