Bush Book: Upon Further Review

If half of what the new Reggie Bush book claims is true, he will lose his Heisman Trophy.

That's saying a lot, considering it sits side-by-side with O.J. Simpson's in the lobby of USC's Heritage Hall.

Don Yaeger's new work, Tarnished Heisman, is the most detailed account of the Reggie Bush scandal we've seen to date. It's doubtful there'll be anything more conclusive unless (or perhaps until) the NCAA releases the results of its investigation.

If this were a work of fiction, it'd still be some good pulp.

The book's case against Bush is built heavily on the testimony of one man, Lloyd Lake, who is at the center of the controversy. Lake, a convicted felon whose past in examined in the book, allegedly provided or arranged for hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits for Bush and his family, much of which went directly to into the hands the USC football star. Lake goes so far as to claim that Bush was the one lobbying to further the partnership, in clear violation of NCAA regulations. He says Bush had to persuade him to follow through, urging, "Let's do it," in a face-to-face meeting.

But wait -- there's more. There are numerous examples of other improper benefits Bush allegedly received, backed by receipts and bank records. Some were from another party -- agent Mike Ornstein (himself a convicted felon). While in college, Bush was an intern at Ornstein's office and, according to the book, both he and his family were well taken care of by the man who would eventually handle the player's marketing as a pro.

The good news for Trojan fans is that there is limited evidence showing that USC had knowledge of any impropriety. As NCAA Executive Director David Price pointed out to the authors, "Charles Woodson of University of Michigan received benefits from an agent. That all became known publicly sometime after he had left the institution. We had no information that there was any institutional knowledge; therefore, we did not take any action against the institution or even bring charges."

Among the worst the book has on USC:

• A USC coach, Todd McNair, was apparently present in San Diego when Bush was staying in a hotel room that he couldn't have afforded on his own. The book says, however, "There is no evidence that McNair knew about the payment."
• The book cites a rumor, emphasis on rumor, that circulated about head coach Pete Carroll receiving an anonymous e-mail that would have tipped him off to inappropriate dealings by Bush's parents.
• A memorabilia dealer reported to the NCAA that he left a message for both Carroll and Athletic Director Mike Garrett about the possible impropriety in the Bush-Ornstein relationship.
• Lake claims that he was in the same room as Bush's stepdad during a call with Carroll discussing the family's questionable housing arrangement.
• Bush's parent got an all-expense paid trip for a game in Hawaii, which might have stood out had people realized Bush wasn't from a wealthy family. While there are also receipts for a flight taken by the family to a game in Berkeley, it's doubtful anybody would have noticed since the town is just a few hours drive from USC.

The book discusses another one of Bush's suspected big perks:

In February 2005, Bush asked for and was given $13,000 -- by Lake -- for the purchase of a car, a 1996 black Impala SS. The car was considered trendy in the neighborhood where Bush grew up ... Bush wanted to upgrade the car and received another $4,000 from Lake to 'pimp' the car with a new stereo, tinted windows, and high-performance tires and rims.

That story is corroborated by Lake's mother.

Of course, a car valued under $40,000 wouldn't have stood out on a campus where parking lots are crammed with top-of-the-line BMWs, Mercedeses and Porches.

Though the evidence against USC isn't that strong, the evidence against Bush appears downright damning. Copies of records used are scheduled to appear soon on www.tarnishedheisman.com.

Additional observations on "Tarnished Heisman:"

• If a $12,000 cash gift was given to Bush to purchase a car, shouldn't that have been reported to the IRS (which, if memory serves, tracks all transactions above $10,000)? Then again, Lake has admitted to not paying taxes in the past.
• The book implies that Bush's situation prevented him from being taken as the #1 pick in the NFL draft.
• Rap mogul Suge Knight and actor Faizon Love were called in to mediate during the scandal. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
• Reggie Bush and his stepdad exchanged 484 calls with Lake in a nine-month period.

Lake claims that Bush's stepdad quoted the Heisman winner as saying, "Oh, Dad, when I go to the NFL, I am going to leave all those people alone and get rid of them."

So much for that. As the book reports in its closing pages,

A dozen Heisman voters, interviewed for this book, were unanimous: If it is true that Reggie Bush took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Lloyd Lake and Michael Michaels and the NCAA sanctions Bush, "It would make a great statement if we the Heisman voters said enough is enough," said the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi.

Click here to see the initial reaction post about "Tarnished Heisman."

Click here to vote in the Reggie Bush poll.

Photo by Wally Skalij / LAT

Comments

[Steven Smith]

The proper historical analogy is Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was stripped of his two gold medals for playing semi-pro baseball, which in 1912 was the moral equivalent of a college athlete receiving an under-the-table payment. In time, the IOC had a change of heart, and Thorpe was eventually given his medals back, some three decades after his death. It would tarnish the credibility of the Heisman Trophy if the Downtown Athletic Club were to make the malum prohibitum regulations of the NCAA a criteria for whether someone was the best college football player in the country.

[JJ]

I am reminded of the Shoe Box scandal involving players from the University of Wisconsin football team. About 12 players were suspended for 2-4 games, all starters, for recieving discounts on shoes . . . yes shoes. If it is true and litterally hundreds of thousands of dollars were involved with RB, then there is big trouble brewing somewhere. It helps RB and USC's cases that most of these allegations are coming from convicted felons and his mommy, but it does sound like rules were broken and now the consequences have to be paid and things need to be done so the future doesn't repeat the past.

[No dog in this hunt from Virgina]

You can all marginalize his actions if you want, but if one lousy receipt is true, then he should be punished. I think it was Troy Smith that a few years back took $500 from a booster, and OSU pulled him from their BCS bowl game. and then sat him the next season through the Texas game. And this is HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! And there are some morons on here that just want to give Reggie a pass?

And does anyone really think that USC coaches or administrators know NOTHING? Cash, cars, trips, and an expensive home for the star player's family and nobody knew? Talk about fairy tales.

Bush should lose his trophy and USC should voluntarily give up its NC. Neither one has to be given to anyone else - the year will just have an asterisk next to it like many other sports records.

It's the right thing to do and you all know it. Bush cheated (a lot), and the school either knew or should have known. It really is that simple.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

VIRGINA what are you talking about why not check into every college in the nation and go all the way back to early 1900s and aee what we can find. That way everything will have an asterisk on it even some of those national champs from your state oh but do you have any, oh yah mike vick dog fighting champs how can i forget. Why in the heck is someone from virgina reading the LA times anyway must be a UCLA transplant ( or weed please don't add water), just stay on your side of the fence.

[Minorkle]

Reggie, Reggie, Reggie. Fight on for old SC, the banner's high for old SC, fight on and win, fight on...