Reggie Bush Responds. A Little.

Call it the Bush push-back. He spoke with ESPN.com's Sam Alipour at Sundance about Lloyd Lake and Co.:

[They] take their shots in the media, but they won't show up in court. … They don't want to see us in the courtroom. The lawyers are ducking and dodging us. The hangup is they don't want to give us their deposition. … But at the same time, they're doing interviews and making the media rounds? … It's like a trash talker on the field. If you're serious, meet me on the 50-yard line.

It's nice to see him finally respond, but that's it? Out of all the things he could say in response to a possibly-extorting-convicted-felon-turned-compensated-source, he complains about too much media exposure? (I'm not buying the "ducking and dodging" yet ... the legal system is slow.)

Let's look at this another way.

Bush is fully aware that his football value isn't limited to the field. Sports, especially the NFL, is a business. He's worth a lot more on TV and billboards than he is "on the 50-yard line." David Beckham could have taught him that while filming a commercial.

Bush will beat most people on a football field. He may very well beat Lake in court. But in the media field and court of public opinion (the same one that lines his pockets with multimillion-dollar endorsements), so far he's the only one choosing not to meet "on the 50-yard line."

While there's probably a team of attorneys telling him not to talk, the marketing execs at Adidas and Subway must be getting a little uneasy. Like the fans, they probably wouldn't mind closure, either.

So, Reggie, if you've got nothing to hide:

1. Find a reporter at Sundance (E!'s Laura Lane is on the scene -- she's a USC alum).
2. Flash your million-dollar smile.
3. Issue a firm denial that would make Roger Clemens look meek.
4. Chuckle confidently about facing Lake in court.
5. Say "hi" to Kim for us.