Reggie Bush Being Targeted for Accepting Monetary Gifts

Reggie Bush has been plagued by the rumors that he accepted monetary gifts during his college career since the day he was drafted. And while those reports have no bearing on his future in the NFL or with the New Orleans Saints, it could leave a huge mark on his past and his current public perception. But in my mind, the real question is, why don't they just investigate everybody?

It is alleged that Bush and his family may have taken as much as $300,000 in cash in goods while he was at U.S.C. Reggie Bush has continually denied any wrongdoing, but hasn't really spoke about the issue publicly.

But Bush hasn't really had to do much of the talking. Lloyd Lake, the man who has accused Bush of taking these monetary gifts and not repaying them to him has made this quite the public issue. He has even gone as far to release a taped recording with one of the Bush's family members that seem to somewhat support Lake's claim that he provided housing for the Bush family.

Lake says that he has subpoenaed Bush, which would force Bush to give a deposition on the matter. If forced to talk about the issue, under oath, Bush might end up revealing the unspoken truth of college football:

Players get money, man!

It's the truth, and you have to be a fool to think otherwise. Reggie Bush may be taking the fall right now, but there are thousands of players who have done it, thousands that will do it, and there are thousands that are doing it now.

I've seen it with my own bare eyes. And for anybody who is around college football to say that they don't think players are getting money from sources outside of their immediate families is like saying you didn't know baseball players were using steroids in the late 90's.

I've seen players I grew up with obtain cars that their family's can't afford, go on vacations they didn't pay for, and have multiple hotel rooms in the cities in which they are vacationing. And that is just the beginning of it all.

So how I am supposed to react when I hear that the NCAA might take away Bush's awards and achievements if found guilty of accepting and owing money to Mr. Lake? I certainly am a proponent of punishing people for their wrongdoings, but you can't just focus in on one guy and tell me you're being fair about it. But that is what the NCAA is doing by not investigating every program, and every player. They are only going after the big name player, as if he is the Tony Soprano of college football.

Because of that approach, Bush and USC could forfeit some wonderful awards accomplished during Bush's tenure there. Bush would have to give up his Heisman Trophy, and USC would have to forfeit National and Pac-10 championships.

And for what? Because some "booster" gave Bush money, had a falling out, and couldn't recoup his investment in Bush. Had it not been for Lake, the NCAA would know nothing about this situation, just like they don't know anything about the thousands of players accepting money at this moment. This case just fell in their laps, and now they want to make an example of somebody. Well, so be it, but if they think this will deter anybody from continuing these booster practices, they are terribly mistaken.