USC Trojans Get Black Eye Over Reggie Bush Scandal

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The NCAA has dropped a gridiron bombshell on USC’s football team.

A four-year investigation found Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush received improper benefits while attending the school. The Trojans football team will not participate in postseason play for two years and will forfeit 10 scholarships for the next three seasons.

The probe stems from allegations that Bush’s mother and stepfather were provided a suburban San Diego home in exchange for his signing with a would-be agent as his client. In January, the school punished its men’s basketball program for recruiting violations involving O.J. Mayo, who played there for one season. The women’s tennis team also received sanctions.

Both Bush, who now plays for Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and Mayo, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, deny any wrongdoing while students at USC. Pete Carroll, the Trojans’ coach at the time of the allegations, is now head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.