Tarnished Heisman: Did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season into a Six-Figure Job? (Hardcover)

by Don Yaeger (Author)
Key Phrases: sports agency, national championship game, Reggie Bush, San Diego, Lloyd Lake (more...)

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Product Description

"In order that there will be no misunderstanding
regarding the eligibility of a candidate,
the recipient of the award must be a bona fide
student of an accredited university.
The recipient must be in compliance with the
bylaws defining an NCAA student."

-- From the ballot for the Heisman Trophy

December 10, 2005: Amid a roaring ovation and media crush, with his family standing proudly by his side, Reginald Alfred Bush is named the year's Heisman Trophy winner. With his honest demeanor, effervescent smile and, of course, stunning talent displayed on the fields of the University of Southern California, Reggie Bush is, on that celebratory night, the portrait of a great American sportsman, and the pinnacle of everything the NCAA espouses in its athletes.

What America didn't know about the acclaimed college star was that, in direct violation of NCAA policies, Bush and his family had allegedly taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts long before he ever laid his hands on the Heisman.

The rumors first surfaced one week before the 2006 NFL draft: allegations of improper benefits that transformed Bush's final year at USC into a financial windfall. The resulting scandal from such charges could mark one of the darkest chapters in college football history. Now, drawn together for the first time in Tarnished Heisman, the facts are laid bare.

Don Yaeger, a former Sports Illustrated investigative reporter who documented the Duke University lacrosse case in the shattering New York Times bestseller It's Not About the Truth, reveals the heated controversy behind Bush's high-flying rise before turning pro for the New Orleans Saints, going back to his first taste of fame, when Bush landed in the pages of Sports Illustrated and all eyes were watching to see what was next for the USC sophomore. What few eyes saw, however, were the ties between Bush and two San Diego men, cofounders of a fledgling sports agency, who claim to have paid Bush and his family in cash and gifts to ensure his endorsement -- benefits including a vintage car, lavish trips, and an upscale home where Bush's family lived rent-free. Don Yaeger exposes the NCAA-prohibited activity in which Bush allegedly engaged, and also shows how USC and its coaching staff appeared to have turned a blind eye to the increasingly luxurious lifestyle of their star athlete and his family.

With the explosive information revealed in Tarnished Heisman, Bush stands to be ruled ineligible -- a decision that could cost his alma mater the 2004 national championship title, force the forfeit of every game Bush played in after losing his eligibility, and potentially strip Reggie Bush of the shining prize of his college career: the Heisman Trophy. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author
Don Yaeger is a former associate editor for Sports Illustrated.

He is the author of seven books and coauthor of the New York Times

bestseller Under the Tarnished Dome and the critically acclaimed

Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; 1 edition (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416577564
• ISBN-13: 978-1416577560
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #709,346 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "IS NOTHING SACRED ANYMORE? - HEISMAN? NCAA? USC? REGGIE BUSH?", January 21, 2008

By	Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I have been an avid football fan my entire life. I played competitive football when I was younger and have been a devoted student and fan of football for almost half a century. In the last 13 years alone I have attended 135 NFL games in person and watched thousands of college and professional games. During that time I have only seen two players that could literally be running full speed ahead at lightning speed, change directions at an angle that could only be accurately described in a geometry class, as if their head was on a swivel while the rest of their body contorts in another direction, as if it was spinning around on a hyper-active "Lazy Susan"! The first other-worldly player that fit that heretofore un-defined mold was the great Chicago Bear Hall Of Fame running back Gale Sayers. The second one is Reggie Bush!

On September 3, 1994 at the age of nine, Reggie made his debut scoring 5 touchdowns on 6 carries against the Grossmont Warriors. A few weeks later against the Kearny Mesa Komets, he scored 8 touchdowns, 3 extra points and gained 544 yards on 27 carries. A football star was surely being born. By the end of his senior year at Helix High School in San Diego in 2002 he had scored 450 points, ran for a total of 4,995 yards, and averaged 12 yards per carry. He was named to the "USA Today" All-USA first team and as a Parade All-American he was also selected as their top running back in the country. In track Reggie registered the 3rd fastest hundred meter dash time 10.42 in the state of California. This also ranked Reggie as the fastest senior football player in the country. Reggie's services were obviously passionately desired by every major university in America. Reggie chose the University Of Southern California. (USC)

USC has a legendary gridiron history that includes 11 National championships. They've won 29 out of 45 bowl games. They have 36 Pac-10 titles, they have more first round draft choices, the most top overall draft picks, the most Pro Bowl players and most Super Bowl players of any college in history. Even John Wayne played for USC. Reggie joined the Trojan football team as a true freshman and by his sophomore year he started getting noticed nationwide and ended up finishing FIFTH in the Heisman voting as a SOPHOMORE! As a junior Reggie seemed to have another indescribable performance every week including breaking the Pac-10 record with 513 total yards in one game against Fresno State. Of course as the world now knows Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy as the top individual player in college football. As all sports fans know, the NCAA, the guardian of amateur college athletics has stringent rules regarding its college athletes. Any breaking of these rules result in firm punishment for its players and schools. Suspensions, forfeits, curtailing of post season tournaments, restriction from appearing on TV, reducing scholarships, and even reversing teams won - lost records and removal of statistical records are but a few of the weapons in their arsenal that are used to protect the sanctity of all that they oversee. That is why this author's research is so important. Reggie has been accused of some very serious offenses in this book that can affect not only his records, but the reversal of all of USC's victories from the time Reggie may have committed the "alleged" offences. The author of this book Don Yaeger, is a respected journalist. I have personally read his biographies on Walter Payton and Tug McGraw. Even more importantly I read the book he co-authored in 1998 entitled "PROS AND CONS THE CRIMINALS WHO PLAY IN THE NFL." That book was absolutely shocking in its time listing player after player in detail with the hideous crimes they had committed including rape, kidnapping, assault and battery, weapons possession, drug dealing, driving while intoxicated, domestic violence, and even homicide. The book was so well documented that despite the big names and disparaging comments upon its release, as far as I know there was never a law suit. This book "Tarnished Heisman" seems to be just as well researched. This author is not a tabloid reporter he is a polished professional. Since one of the main characters in the telling of this story Lloyd Lake has a criminal past, Don does not hide it, he instead divulges in great detail Lloyd's drug dealing and prison time, and even includes details directly from the United States District Court Southern District of California Presentence Report that categorizes Lloyd as a career offender. The ongoing accusations that would tarnish Reggie, the Heisman, USC, NCAA, The Rose Bowl, Reggie's parents, and others include but are not limited to: (While Reggie was a player at USC.) $36-$38,000.00 for a down payment on a $757,500.00 home for Reggie's parents, monthly mortgage payments, utility bills, $28,000.00 to pay off Reggie's parents credit card bills, $13,000.00 for Reggie's car, $4,000.00 for aftermarket tires and rims, numerous hotel payments, shopping sprees and much more (all detailed in this book.) The author documents the claims with transcribed taped conversations provided by Lloyd that chronicles his conversations with Reggie's dad LaMar Griffin in which at numerous times LaMar acknowledges that if Reggie doesn't follow through with his plan to go into business with Lloyd and other individuals including the SYCUAN INDIAN TRIBE (who had built an oasis for themselves, a plush operation that grossed approximately $800 MILLION A YEAR.) that REGGIE SHOULD PAY THEM BACK! Also provided by the author are internal emails from tribe representatives.

The transgressions detailed in this astonishing expose have not been publicly acted upon by the NCAA at this time, but I feel as I did after I read "JUICED" by Jose Canseco. The powers that be (Like the NCAA now.) tried to ignore it thinking it would just go away. It didn't! i.e.: Congress and the Mitchell Report. I read "THE GAME OF SHADOWS" the day it came out and I said Canseco told the truth. Now the world has the Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds fiasco and a "LIE-A-THON". Next, the NCAA may tackle Reggie's college missteps!

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, quick read., January 10, 2008

By	Austin Milbarge (Cedar Park, TX) - See all my reviews

Just finished a spec copy, and it is clear that Yaeger knows of what he speaks. Despite being fairly short, it creates an expose of Reggie Bush's junior year activities in a style similar to his also-excellent book about the Duke lacrosse team. He spends quite a bit of time talking about what the University of Southern California athletic department and coaching staff knew or didn't know, and that's really the most interesting part of the book.

I recommend this brief but tremendously interesting look into the grey area where "amateur" athletes and big money endorsements meet. I'll be watching the case unfold with great interest. This is a good weekend read for the offseason.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disgusting, May 3, 2008

By	Dan Russell "Dan" (Texas) - See all my reviews

It's sad that the NCAA has never done anything to Southern Cal for all the documented violations. A must read book about a kid that knew how to use the system and avoid any consequences for his actions. Wake up NCAA!