Reggie Bush

Former Southern California star Reggie Bush said there was nothing inappropriate about his family's living arrangement at a home owned by a man who reportedly sought to market him because they leased the house. "It's kind of funny how this whole story is getting blown out of proportion," Bush said in an ESPN interview yesterday. The Pac-10 said Sunday that it will investigate whether any NCAA rules were violated when Bush's family, including mother Denise Griffin, stepfather LaMar Griffin and brother Jovan Griffin lived in the Spring Valley, Calif.

The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip Reggie Bush of his 2005 honor after an investigation reportedly revealed Bush accepted improper benefits. The Trust will leave the award vacant. Vince Young finished second that year. If you were Young, would you want the trophy? Absolutely. The Trust is basically saying Bush didn't exist in 2005, and if that actually had been the case, then Young would have won hands down. It's a little late, but they should give Young a chance to hoist that trophy.

Little did he know it at the time, but when the Houston Texans selected defensive end Mario Williams as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft - bypassing Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush - it had a major impact on the life of Wali Lundy. A former Inquirer South Jersey offensive player of the year at Holy Cross High in Delran, it was Lundy, not Bush, who was the first running back drafted by the Texans, albeit in the sixth round. Had Houston chosen Bush, it's very likely that Lundy would have a different address - or at least a different place on the depth chart.

Eagles linebacker Shawn Barber wishes he had Donovan McNabb on his team. It's the middle of the preseason, and Barber already has his sights set on the draft. "My first pick - Reggie Bush!" he hollers. "Reggie Bush! Awww, man, you've got to be kidding me!" one of Barber's friends yells. "I wasn't kidding when I won it last year," Barber says, silencing everyone in the room by reminding them of last year's trophy winner. It is noon on a Saturday, and the beers are cold and the smack talk between Barber and his fantasy-football friends is colder.

An agent under investigation by the NFL Players Association for his alleged role in the housing arrangement for Reggie Bush's family said yesterday that he had nothing to do with the Southern California star. David Caravantes told the Associated Press he was unaware of the investigation, adding, "I have had no involvement with Reggie Bush. " ESPN, citing sources, reported that the NFL Players Association and NFL Security advised the top four teams in the draft that they have information indicating Caravantes and marketing company New Era Sports used an attorney to try to force Bush to pay them $3.2 million after Bush decided not to sign with the group.

Perhaps that underappreciated philosopher, Kim Kardashian, said it best: "New Orleans deserves this. " The reality TV star is dating running back Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints, who won the Super Bowl Sunday night. The victory came four years and five months after Hurricane Katrina almost wiped the city off the map. The Saints' only championship in their 43-year history is emblematic of New Orleans' recovery. When residents had reason to give up, their spirit prevailed.

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush insisted yesterday he and his family have done nothing wrong, responding to allegations that they accepted gifts, money and other benefits worth more than $100,000 from two marketing agents during his career at Southern California. "I'm not worried about any of these allegations or anything like that, because I know what the truth is, like I said from Day 1," Bush said. Yahoo.com reported Thursday that Michael Michaels, a marketing agency investor who wanted to represent the Heisman Trophy winner, and current Bush marketing agent Mike Ornstein supplied Bush and his family with gifts while he was still at USC. Each hoped to represent Bush once he left school.

Reggie Bush apparently has reached an out-of-court settlement with a fledgling sports marketer who is trying to recoup nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts the star running back and his family allegedly accepted while he was playing at the University of Southern California. Depositions involving the two former marketers who wooed Bush while he was at USC have been called off, attorney Brian Watkins told the Associated Press yesterday. Settlement documents could be filed in court within days.

A week ago, Wayne Huizenga seemed poised to sell his beloved Miami Dolphins and abandon his long quest for a Super Bowl title. Scratch those plans. Huizenga brought in Bill Parcells instead, giving him the task of restoring Miami's lost luster. Miami yesterday signed Parcells to a 4-year contract as executive vice president of football operations. He will oversee "anything that has to do with football, directly or indirectly," Huizenga said. The two-time Super Bowl champion coach will report directly to Huizenga, whose affinity for big-name help now has led him to a 66-year-old former coach of four NFL clubs.

The New Orleans Saints and first-round draft choice Reggie Bush agreed to terms on a six-year contract late last night. Terms of the contract, which will be signed today, were not available. Bush will report to training camp today, the Associated Press said. Earlier, ESPN.com had said that Bush's contract would exceed the one signed earlier this week by Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, and would come very close to the deal for top overall pick Mario Williams. Young, the third overall selection, received $25.74 million in guarantees, slightly less than the $26.5 million in bonuses the Houston Texans gave Williams.

MIAMI - Once-woeful Miami won for the fourth time in its last five games on Sunday, beating Oakland 34-14. Reggie Bush ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, Matt Moore had a hand in two TDs and Kevin Burnett returned an interception 34 yards for Miami's final score. The surge came after the Dolphins (4-8) lost their first seven games. In the past five weeks they've outscored opponents 139-54, with the lone loss a one-point defeat at Dallas on Thanksgiving. "We've been on a wild ride here," Moore said.

Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is expected to be stripped of the award by the end of the month. The former Southern Cal running back would become the first player in the 75-year history of the award to have the Heisman Trophy taken away. The report also said the award would be left vacant for 2005. The NCAA found major violations in USC's football program and levied serious sanctions against the school in June. WOMEN'S SOCCER: Carli Lloyd of Delran is one of 30 players on the preliminary roster for the U.S. women's exhibitions against China next month.

The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip Reggie Bush of his 2005 honor after an investigation reportedly revealed Bush accepted improper benefits. The Trust will leave the award vacant. Vince Young finished second that year. If you were Young, would you want the trophy? Absolutely. The Trust is basically saying Bush didn't exist in 2005, and if that actually had been the case, then Young would have won hands down. It's a little late, but they should give Young a chance to hoist that trophy.

Embattled Southern California athletic director Mike Garrett will be replaced by Pat Haden next month, and the school will return its copy of Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy in its ongoing effort to repair its reputation after last month's severe NCAA sanctions. In a letter to school supporters yesterday, incoming USC president Max Nikias said Garrett will be replaced Aug. 3 by Haden, a respected member of USC's board of trustees and an NBC football analyst. The 66-year-old Garrett has been the Trojans' athletic director for 17 years, but he received caustic criticism for his handling of the scandals surrounding USC's powerful football team and other programs over the past several years.

Reggie Bush apparently has reached an out-of-court settlement with a fledgling sports marketer who is trying to recoup nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts the star running back and his family allegedly accepted while he was playing at the University of Southern California. Depositions involving the two former marketers who wooed Bush while he was at USC have been called off, attorney Brian Watkins told the Associated Press yesterday. Settlement documents could be filed in court within days.

Perhaps that underappreciated philosopher, Kim Kardashian, said it best: "New Orleans deserves this. " The reality TV star is dating running back Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints, who won the Super Bowl Sunday night. The victory came four years and five months after Hurricane Katrina almost wiped the city off the map. The Saints' only championship in their 43-year history is emblematic of New Orleans' recovery. When residents had reason to give up, their spirit prevailed.

Reggie Bush will face questions about whether he received improper cash advances from a businessman while he was an undergraduate at Southern Cal. As part of a lawsuit by a prospective partner, the case could lead to Bush's losing his Heisman Trophy and lead USC to forfeit games. The New Orleans Saints running back is scheduled to give a deposition on Feb. 25 in San Diego in connection with the lawsuit filed against him by Lloyd Lake, Lake's attorney said yesterday. Bush is accused of receiving almost $300,000 in cash and benefits by representatives of a fledgling sports marketing agency between November 2004 and January 2006.

A University of Washington booster offered $200,000 for law school scholarships if coach Ty Willingham and athletic director Todd Turner were fired, the Seattle Times reported yesterday. The offer made by Ed Hansen, a multimillionaire lawyer and former three-term mayor of Everett, Wash., to university president Mark A. Emmert was included in about 1,000 e-mails obtained by the Times in a public records request. Turner, an ardent backer of Willingham, resigned Dec.11. Willingham, who has an 11-25 record in three seasons with the Huskies, has been retained.

A week ago, Wayne Huizenga seemed poised to sell his beloved Miami Dolphins and abandon his long quest for a Super Bowl title. Scratch those plans. Huizenga brought in Bill Parcells instead, giving him the task of restoring Miami's lost luster. Miami yesterday signed Parcells to a 4-year contract as executive vice president of football operations. He will oversee "anything that has to do with football, directly or indirectly," Huizenga said. The two-time Super Bowl champion coach will report directly to Huizenga, whose affinity for big-name help now has led him to a 66-year-old former coach of four NFL clubs.

The hoopla is all about rookie Reggie Bush, the New Orleans Saints running back out of Southern California who owns a Heisman Trophy and two national championship rings, and leads the NFL in receptions. "All you have to do is watch the tape to see how good he is," Eagles special-teams coach John Harbaugh said. What the Eagles saw on tape earlier this week was Bush returning a punt 65 yards for his first NFL touchdown, a late fourth-quarter play that allowed the 4-1 Saints to rally for a 24-21 victory against Tampa Bay on Sunday.