Former Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush gets his Heisman Trophy win restored

Reggie Bush, a former Miami Dolphins running back and winner of the Heisman Trophy in 2005, only to have it stripped from him after a scandal involving improper benefits involving his family and the University of Southern California, was rightfully restored as a Heisman Winner on Wednesday afternoon. He received the hardware back that was taken from him in 2010 after news of the scandal broke and USC was placed on NCAA probation.

""Personally, I'm thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I'm honored to return to the Heisman family. I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.""

- Heisman Trophy Winner Reggie Bush.

The reinstatement of the award meant that Bush was given the original award that he won in 2005 and a replica was placed in the trophy cases at USC. Along with the Trophy comes the fanfare as Bush will now be able to take the stage as a past Heisman winner when the Trophy is presented annually to the top collegiate player in the country.

""Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush, who unquestionably was the most outstanding college football player of 2005.""

- Heisman Trophy Trust Press Release

The Heisman Trust met at the end of a scheduled summit outside of Jacksonville, Florida on Wednesday and gave Bush back his Trophy. According to ESPN, there were approximately 15 past winners in attendance. Tim Henning, the associate director of the Heisman Trust described the ad hoc ceremony as having a "celebratory atmosphere."

""We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments, We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.""

- Michael Comerford, Heisman Trust Pres.

Bush was lobbying to be restored as a Heisman winner shortly after states and the NCAA adopted the NIL Program. It is a program for student-athletes to be paid for their names, image, and likeness by third-party companies outside of the University.

Shortly thereafter, other Winners of the Trophy such as Matt Leinart, Bush's quarterback and teammate at USC, and Notre Dame's Tim Brown spoke out on Bush's behalf. Johnny Manziel, a past winner of the Trophy, said that he would discontinue attending Heisman events until Bush was paired up with his Trophy once again. Manziel took to social media to voice his happiness and contentment with the Trust for doing what he believed was right.

USC now has eight Heisman Trophy winners, the most of any school in the country. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame have seven each.

""I am so happy for Reggie and the entire Trojan Family. He won our hearts during his illustrious career and deserved to have his well-earned honor restored. We are looking forward to celebrating with him and his family and are proud we were able to stand with him as an advocate.""

-  USC president Carol Folt

Jen Cohen, the athletic director for USC called the return of the Trophy "a momentous day for Reggie Bush and the entire USC community"

Bush was undeniably the greatest collegiate player in 2005 as he ran for 1,740 yards on 200 carries. Bush totaled 2,890 all-purpose yards in 2005 as he ran away with the Trophy with 784 first-place votes, the fifth most in Heisman history.

Bush scored 42 touchdowns in his USC career and was the second player selected in the 2006 National Football League Draft.

Current USC coach Lincoln Riley was equally ecstatic, similar to Cohen. He also released a statement on Bush's valuable contributions to USC and to the game of football in general.

""What a historic day! Reggie's reintroduction to the Heisman Family is a special moment for every person that has been associated with USC football. We are thrilled that Reggie's athletic accomplishments as one of the greatest to ever play the game can officially be recognized. For a long time, the Heisman and USC have been synonymous and being able to acknowledge all eight of our winners is extraordinary.""

- USC head football coach Lincoln Riley

It just seems that all is right with the world now that Bush can once again, be recognized as a Heisman Trophy Award winner. It is good to see some organizations associated with college football admit that it made a mistake and then take the appropriate steps to right that mistake.

Kudos to the Heisman Trophy Trust.