LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reggie Bush is overjoyed to have his Heisman Trophy once again.
Now he wants his reputation back as well.
The former Southern California tailback says the return of his Heisman is the biggest step yet in what he sees as his fight against the NCAA to restore his good name and his records from his incredible college football career. Bush pointedly said he “never cheated” during his three seasons at USC.
“There was never a doubt in my mind that it would come,” Bush said. “Because I know the truth is on my side.”
Bush and his family celebrated the restoration of his Heisman honors Thursday during a news conference atop the venerable Coliseum, where Bush played for the Trojans before his 11-year NFL career. Bush and his three children held up the trophy together while his wife, mother and many supporters cheered.
Bush praised the Heisman Trust for his reinstatement, but the former tailback and his attorneys made it clear their fight against the NCAA has not ended. Bush indicated he doesn't plan to drop his defamation lawsuit filed last year against the NCAA over the governing body's 2021 characterization of the circumstances that led to Bush's troubles.
“It was more of being labelled a cheater,” Bush said. “The trophy ... being taken away from me (was painful), but being labelled a cheater was far worse, because I’ve never cheated, and there’s no proof of that, that I’ve cheated."
Bush won the Heisman in 2005, but forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with massive sanctions partly related to Bush's dealings with two aspiring sports marketers. The Heisman Trust restored the honor and returned the trophy to Bush in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, citing fundamental changes in the structure of college athletics over the past 14 years.
The NCAA also vacated 14 wins by the Trojans and wiped many of Bush's achievements from the record books in its sanctions. That decision still infuriates Bush, who clearly hopes his lawsuit and public pressure can force the governing body to change its stance.
“This is a clarion call to the NCAA to do the right thing, to get on the right side of history,” attorney Ben Crump said.
Bush, whose NCAA-mandated disassociation from USC ended in 2020, hopes to see his retired No. 5 on the Coliseum peristyle this fall. He also hopes to lead coach Lincoln Riley's team out of the Coliseum tunnel, accepting the honor given to top former Trojans.
But Bush says he won't be satisfied until his name is cleared as well.
“You can't get to this, or a national championship, by cheating,” Bush said. “I promise you that.”
AP college football: https://apnews.com/collegefootball
Former USC football player Reggie Bush poses with his family and his Heisman trophy after a news conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Thursday, April, 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Former USC football player Reggie Bush with his family try to lift a very heavy Heisman trophy for a photo during a news conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Thursday, April, 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Former USC football player Reggie Bush poses with his attorneys, left, Levi McCathern and Ben Crump, right, along with his and family and his Heisman trophy during a news conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Thursday, April, 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
JERUSALEM (AP) — JERUSALEM — Israel’s main cable provider has halted broadcasts of the Al Jazeera news station, citing a ban on the channel approved Sunday by the government.
The “Hot” cable provider on Sunday afternoon turned off Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in both English and Arabic.
“In accordance with the government decision, broadcaster Al-Jazeera has stopped in Israel,” it said in a message on screen.
In Israel, the channel’s websites in Arabic and English remained operational, and the station could still be watched live on YouTube in both languages.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants on Sunday attacked Israel's main crossing point for delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, reportedly wounding several Israelis and prompting Israel to close the terminal.
The attack disrupted critical shipments of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, and dealt a new blow to ongoing cease-fire efforts mediated by Egypt and Qatar. In another potential setback, Israel said it was shuttering the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera satellite channel, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he rejected Hamas' latest demands and vowed to keep on fighting.
The Israeli military reported 10 launches at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Hamas said it had been targeting Israeli soldiers in the area. Israel's Channel 12 TV channel said 10 people were wounded, three seriously.
Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing has become the primary gateway for badly needed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The military said the crossing was immediately closed, halting deliveries of aid into hard-hit Gaza. It was unclear how long the closure would remain in effect.
The incident comes at a time when Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, medicine and other humanitarian items.
The attack threatened to complicate the ongoing cease-fire talks in Egypt. A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported “noticeable progress” in the cease-fire talks.
However, Israel hasn’t sent a delegation to Cairo and a senior Israeli official downplayed prospects for a full end to the war while emphasizing Israel's commitment to invading Rafah.
Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the deal calls for an extended pause in fighting in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. But the sides remain at odds over whether the deal would include an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu further lowered expectations on Sunday when he accused Hamas of making unacceptable demands.
While claiming that Israel has shown willingness to make concessions, he said: “Hamas has still held to its extreme positions, first and foremost the withdrawal of our forces from the strip, the conclusion of the war and leaving Hamas intact.”
"Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which would mean surrender; it will continue fighting until all of its objectives are achieved,” he said.
Israel launched its war in response to Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, which killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. An Israeli air and ground offensive has killed over 34,500 people, according to Palestinian health officials, displaced some 80% of Gaza's population and led to a humanitarian disaster.
Egypt and Qatar have been working with the United States to mediate a cease-fire.
On Sunday, Netanyahu's Cabinet approved a measure to shutter Qatar's Al Jazeera news channel, accusing it of broadcasting anti-Israel incitement. The decision threatened to further disrupt the cease-fire talks. There was no immediate comment from Qatar.
Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press wroter Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Israel says Hamas attacks a crossing point into Gaza, wounding 10 Israelis and forcing its closure
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF), or floating pier, off the shore of Gaza on April 26, 2024. The U.S. expects to have on-the-ground arrangements in Gaza ready for humanitarian workers to start delivering aid this month via a new U.S.-backed sea route for Gaza aid. An official with the U.S. Agency for International Development tells the AP that humanitarian groups expect to have their part of preparations complete by early to mid-month. (U.S. Army via AP)
Israel says Hamas attacks a crossing point into Gaza, wounding 10 Israelis and forcing its closure
