In the wake of the Joe McKnight-Reggie Bush controversy, it is time to stand up for someone who has taken tremendous heat from the media over the past few months.
Yes, he was the poster child of collegiate sports in 2004 and 2005. And yes, he became a millionaire by doing what most boys grow up dreaming about, but New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush’s reputation has been unfairly tarnished by reports that claim he – and now McKnight – have violated NCAA rules.
As a member of the media, we sometimes get so caught up in finding dirt that we often look past what individuals have done for the greater good.
Don’t get me wrong. News is news, and it should be reported to the public. But Bush’s $86,000 donation to the restoration of Tad Gormley Stadium to its “pre-Katrina” stage should get the same amount of news attention as his possible telephone conference with McKnight.
Bush’s efforts to restore the field on which Jesuit High School plays its home football games was briefly noted on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” never discussed on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” and barely mentioned on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
On the other hand, “Pardon the Interruption” co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon spent two days yelling at each other about the Bush-McKnight conflict, while an entire segment was set aside on “Around the Horn” for columnists to rant and rave about the situation.
When Capt. Rob Callahan of the Slidell Police Department thanked Bush in June 2006 for loaning 12 Hummers to his police squad through June 2007, it was the top sports story on almost every Southeast Louisiana news station.
Bush donated over $55,000 of his own money to Holy Rosary High in Metairie to help the school avoid closing and keep its 105 special-needs students from being dispersed around Louisiana.
But while local reporters covered these events, no ESPN cameras, Sports Illustrated writers or Sporting News columnists’ showed for either.
But when the words “Reggie Bush” and “NCAA violation” are together in the same sentence, reporters from around the country jump out of their chairs and act as crazy as Britney Spears at a New York nightclub.
Everyone outside the state of Louisiana seems to have forgotten what Bush has done for the city of New Orleans.
Unless you can prove that the “special treatment” Bush and his family have been accused of receiving somehow helped him speed past defenders, spin his way out of tackles and flip into the end zone, leave him alone.
No matter where you stand on the subject, Bush’s post-Katrina efforts are good for the Saints, Louisiana and the NFL.
Bush dug into his own pockets to aide those who needed it the most and has done more for Louisiana than our own Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
Blanco has no problem spending our tax dollars for ‘hurricane relief activities,’ but not once has she opened her own pockets to help those still struggling to rebuild their lives.
Bush has started such charities as “Yard by Yard, Neighborhood by Neighborhood,” distributed food and supplies on numerous occasions to the residents of New Orleans and plans to give a portion of the sales from his new 619 cologne to recovery efforts.
That being said, people shouldn’t care if he cheated. Take his Heisman away.
With a $60 million contract and multi-million dollar endorsement deals, I’m sure former LSU running back and 1959 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon will be willing to make a little money and sell his. Oh wait, he doesn’t need Bush’s money – he counterfeits his own money.
Although he served time in federal prison for counterfeiting, Cannon continues to be recognized and honored every football season for his collegiate accomplishment.
Bush – on the other hand – wasn’t even allowed to attend the 2007 Rose Bowl due to the “allegations” that surround him and his family.
Go figure, an LSU Heisman winner “cheated” the legal system and broke the law. Have we all forgotten, or do we not not care because his name isn’t Reggie Bush?
—–Contact Jay St. Pierre at [email protected]
