Reggie Bush has a lot of respect for Vince Young, and it stems largely from one thing he says Young did back in 2010.
In an appearance on “McAfee and Hawk” Tuesday, Bush said that Young, as the runner-up in 2005 voting, had been offered the Heisman after Bush had it stripped in 2010. He said that Young, with the backing of former Texas coach Mack Brown, had refused the trophy, resulting in the NCAA simply vacating it.
There was a story that they tried to give @ReggieBush's Heisman trophy to @VinceYoung10 and Vince refused #McAfeeAndHawk
"Vince showed me love that even some of the closest people to me didn't show" pic.twitter.com/3zTzIPWO8x
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 23, 2020
“That’s a true story. And that’s why Vince Young is my guy,” Bush said. “Vince showed me love that even some of the closest people to me didn’t even show. They did try to give him the Heisman Trophy. We interviewed Mack Brown last week on our FOX show and I spoke about that story with Mack Brown. And Mack Brown validated it, because I didn’t know he knew about it. But Mack Brown said that Vince came to him and told him that they had basically offered him the Heisman Trophy, and he was going to turn it down. And Mack Brown basically supported him.
“Vince, they just beat us in the national championship. So he had every right to be like, why not? I just beat them. I just beat USC, I just beat Matt Leinart, I just beat Reggie Bush, who won the Heisman Trophy. This is my time. This is my time to take what’s rightfully mine. And that’s why I appreciate Vince, because even in that moment, he wasn’t a sucker.”
Bush’s revelation comes not long after his 10-year disassociation ban from USC came to an end. He’s allowed to be recognized for his USC accomplishments again, though he’s still not getting the Heisman back.
Assuming Bush is telling the truth, Young may have felt undeserving as someone who didn’t actually outright win the voting, or perhaps he didn’t see the point in claiming a trophy five years after the fact. Still, it’s clear Bush thinks a lot of the gesture.
