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Since arriving late in the fall, USC athletic director Mike Bohn has often stated his "listen, learn, lead" philosophy of wanting to hear from Trojans fans, boosters, student-athletes, coaches and anyone else related to the operation as to matters his department needed to address.
And needless to say, Bohn heard quite a bit about Reggie Bush these last six-plus months, leading up to the announcement Wednesday that USC has ended its NCAA-mandated disassociation with the Trojans legend after 10 years -- and on the first eligible day to do so.
"A day didn't go by where people didn't talk about it," Bohn said. "I believe we were most touched by athletes, former players, who not only played with Reggie but put on our iconic uniform and were a part of our program that recognized that this was something important to them. "
Bohn joined a Zoom call with local and national reporters at 3 p.m. Wednesday after the news had spread far and wide that No. 5 was now officially welcomed back to campus in any capacity he chooses.
In 2017, the NCAA Committee on Infractions pushed through a rule change that limited previously open-ended disassociations to 10 years. Bush's Trojans exile reached 10 years on Wednesday, and USC wasted no time bringing it to and end -- while also doing the same for former Trojans basketball standout OJ Mayo.
"We wanted to be clear, the first date, the first morning where we could comment on Reggie's association with USC that we wanted to welcome him back," Bohn said. "That was very, very important to us, and I can't wait to see how Reggie advocates for student athletes and we hope to be a great partner in helping him make a difference, which I know he wants to do. All you have to do is look back at the wonderful work he's done off the field throughout his career. And I know it will be a special day for me when he can walk on campus with his three kids and his wonderful wife and be a part of what's going on at USC, and again is a part of the transformation of student-athlete welfare issues across the country."
RELATED: USC ends Reggie Bush's 10-year disassociation with the university | Reggie Bush shares his thoughts on a new relationship with the Trojans | Join the conversation on Trojan Talk
Bush's disassociation from USC -- and other penalties that included a two-year postseason ban for USC, 14 vacated victories (including the 2004 BCS national championship, though the Trojans are still recognized as the AP national champions from that year), the loss of 30 scholarships and Bush returning his Heisman Trophy -- were the result of an investigation that concluded Bush and his family had received impermissible benefits through a sports agency, including cash, travel expenses, and a home in the San Diego area where Bush's parents lived rent-free for more than a year.
"So many things have changed over the last 10 years involving student-athlete welfare, student-athlete Name, Image, Likeness issues is a predominant initiative across the country right now, and Reggie has some insights and experiences that we can learn from, we can grow from that will be very valuable to us," Bohn said. "I think that's what is so exciting. The time I had the opportunity meet Reggie for the first time, his love and affection for his teammates, for USC, for being a Trojan are so genuine and deep. We found that sentiment very, very inspiring.
"I know that [USC president Dr. Carol Folt] had an opportunity to visit with Reggie as well and had an opportunity to share so many different things about it. His remorse and his really sharing the challenges of what this meant to him and the devastation he had experienced knowing that USC was heavily penalized because of the situations connected to his actions, I think that was really important to us and being able to hear that from him. ... I salute him for his candor and putting that together."
Bohn also further emphasized the impact of hearing from Bush's USC teammates, including quarterback Matt Leinart.
"I'd be remiss if I didn't say thank you to Matt Leinart and others for their efforts to help us engage and bring a unique perspective that maybe we were not aware of because we were not here during that time," Bohn continued. "That was extremely valuable, and again I believe the passion from so many different people tied to USC was really a strong push of, hey, this is the right thing to do. When you think of our efforts associated with student-athlete welfare and our student-athlete-centric model here at USC that Dr. Folt and I are partnering on, this is certainly a part of that."
Bohn said he was not yet in a position to provide answers to some key questions fan have in the wake of the news, namely regarding whether Bush will get his 2005 Heisman Trophy returned to him or if there will be a ceremony to formally retire his No. 5 -- although no Trojan has worn it since Bush.
"I recognize that we don't have all the answers associated with how we're going to recognize Reggie, how we'll reintroduce things from the Heisman Trophy to retired numbers to all those different things. We will certainly get to that, and we certainly understand how important that is, but right now our focus is obviously on our existing student-athletes and the Covid challenge and obviously the challenges associated with other events in our country that are deeply troubling to us," Bohn said. "So please bear with us as we work through some of those big challenges in putting it together. ...
"I know [the Heisman is] important to Reggie, it's important to our fans and so many people tied to USC and I have no idea what that process looks like. I just know as those discussions and pieces come together we are going to support Reggie just like we would support all of student-athletes. You're right, we do not have a plan or a clear direction associated with what that will look like. I just know it's important to Reggie, which makes it important to us, and we'll just have to see how that unfolds."
Bohn mentioned a couple times Bush's "remorse" and the value he can offer in speaking to student-athletes. Bohn was also careful to reiterate USC's commitment to NCAA compliance.
The severe penalties -- most agree they were beyond severe considering the NCAA didn't not determined that USC had given Bush or his family any of the impermissible benefits -- levied on Bush and the Trojans look even more draconian in 2020 as the NCAA is now responding to pressure to create new rules permitting student-athletes to cash in on their own marketability. None would have been as marketable as Bush was at the peak of his USC career, and had he been allowed to profit off his name the same way USC and the NCAA did, then he likely never would have ended up in this situation.
But regardless, Bush has paid his price -- a steep one.
"To have somebody to have to endure that -- I can't imagine what he went through -- but we're going to stand with Reggie and we're going to work with Reggie and we're going to continue to find ways for Reggie Bush's story to serve us well for the long term," Bohn said. "I believe in many ways that's a great gift. I salute Reggie for being so open with his heart and with how he felt about that. I am impressed by that, and I know that Dr. Folt was touched by his candor and how devastated he was about how that impacted him and he knows how it was a major impact on the institution as well."
Many have quickly presumed that Bush can be an influence on USC recruiting moving forward. It's a logical thought as so many of today's recruits still mention Bush as a reason why they're interested in USC. Even though they weren't old enough to experience his Trojans career in its prime, they continue to watch the highlights and Bush's stature remains as prominent as ever with high school football prospects.
But Bohn wanted to make clear that USC has no expectations of Bush in that regard -- that would be up to him.
"I want to be clear that Reggie's welcome back to USC is unconditional. We have no expectations for him to help us or move our recruiting initiatives that is not special to him and his heart," Bohn said. "If he chooses to be a part of that and recognizes the value of communicating with young people about that I think that would be wonderful, but I want to be clear this was an unconditional association that we now have with Reggie. We just want him to continue to pursue his dreams and his progress as a person, as a dad, as a husband, as a leader. That's most important to us, and I believe a lot of those other pieces will come together organically and I'm hopeful that they will. But it's not about that. It never was and it never will be."
Wednesday was about bringing one of USC's most iconic athletes back home. For many fans, it was about ending -- not quite righting -- a disservice done to Bush.
Wednesday was a great day for the Trojans and their fans, and even though Bohn hasn't been at USC for very long, he seemed to fully appreciate the weight of the moment as well.
"Reggie means so much to so many people at USC -- our fans, most importantly his teammates, our players. This is really a special day for us, and I'm pleased to welcome him back to our family," he said. "And I'm confident that he will use his incredible platform and influential voice to support and empower all of our student-athletes."
