Reggie Bush Pledges to Help USC Fight NCAA Sanctions

Last week, the hammer came down on the University of Southern California after the NCAA found the school guilty of allowing New Orleans Saint Reggie Bush and his family receive improper benefits from marketing agents during his time as a student-athlete.

Bush spoke to the Associated Press for the first time since the punishment was announced but didn't respond to any of the allegations:

"This thing, regarding USC and the NCAA, is the closest thing to death without dying because I have such a great love and respect for the university," Bush told the Associated Press.

"This has been one the toughest things I've had to deal with in my life. I believe that there's a lot of untold truth to this matter, there's a lot of fabricated lies to this matter, but it is what it is, and I can't sit here and cry about it. I can't sit here and make up excuses. Ultimately, it's a responsibility that's placed on USC and my shoulders. It's because of me. So all I can do is continue to try to help them and move forward with the situation. God works in mysterious ways and at the end of the day I think this, too, shall pass and hopefully we can grow stronger from this."

The NCAA ruled that USC's victories from late 2004 to 2005 have to be vacated, which includes the school's Orange Bowl victory in 2005. The school also lost 30 athlete scholarships over the next three years and is banned from participating in any bowl games for the next two seasons. There's no word if Bush will lose his 2005 Heisman Trophy, but he's going to help the university appeal the punishment.

"Obviously, with the current penalty, it sucks because the kids there now have to deal with that, and you never want to be in the position where you've affected a kid's career or the future of a high school player who has a dream to go to USC," Bush said. "That's not a good feeling. Obviously, like I said earlier, we're going to do everything we can with the appeal and we feel strongly about winning the appeal. This situation has occurred and was brought on USC because of me . . . and my name is dragged through this, their name is dragged through this, my family's name is dragged through this and it's really unfortunate."

Of course, none of this affects Bush's current career as an NFL player, but it is damaging to his legacy at USC as well as the school's.