Brandon Marshall wants the NCAA to own up to how they treated Reggie Bush's Heisman win. The running back won the trophy in 2005 following 1,740 yards on just 200 carries and scored 18 total touchdowns for the University of Southern California.
However, when it was later found that Reggie Bush had got some money and a vehicle during his playing days, he voluntarily returned the award. Now, he's accusing the NCAA of defamation in a lawsuit filed in an Indiana Superior Court and asking them to reinstate his football records so that he gets his Heisman Trophy back.
Brandon Marshall is certainly on Reggie Bush's side and said that the NCAA was beind hypocritical:
"The NCAA need to sue their damn self. Y'all been taking advantage of young kids for how many decades, You taking little kids out of where they coming from?
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"They don't have nothing. Oh, well, we're giving you a scholarship. But that ain't feeding me right now. That ain't feeding my mom and dad, but I'm feeding you."
Brandon Marshall also bashes NCAA's NIL policy while defending Reggie Bush
Brandon Marshall also took aim at the NIL policy that the NCAA has now instated. He says that that only papers over the cracks and does not address the real problems. The former Pro Bowl wide receiver added:
"When you really look at the business surrounding the NCAA, you're being crooks for a very long time. Give Reggie his Heisman back.
"I don't give a damn if he did it. If he didn't do it, because we know what y'all been doing. And this whole NIL movement is only a band-aid over a bigger problem."
If Reggie Bush wins this case, it could have further ramifications, too. Because of his NCAA violations that rendered him ineligible for that period, the USC's 2004 Championship was stripped from them.
If the running back is successful, there's every reason to return the title to them, which they got under current Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
The NCAA's new NIL policy, of course, is not grandfathered in for previous violations, and they will probably argue accordingly. However, in this day and age when NIL is allowed, seeing someone like Reggie Bush being caught in violation and other cases, like Johnny Manziel's suspension, seems unfair.
Brandon Marshall seems to agree with that point of view and has come down hard on the NCAA.