Reggie Bush lost his Heisman Trophy because, following an NCAA investigation, it was revealed that he received impermissible benefits such as several thousand dollars and a vehicle from agents while playing at USC. These benefits violated NCAA rules prohibiting student-athletes from profiting off their name and likeness at that time. Due to this, the NCAA imposed sanctions on USC, and Bush voluntarily forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy in 2010, marking the first and only time the award was stripped from a winner. However, with new NCAA rules allowing student-athletes to profit from their name and likeness enacted in 2021, the Heisman Trust reinstated Bush's trophy in 2024, acknowledging the significant changes in college athletics since Bush's college career.
