Imagine you’re in a store and while you were shopping, someone decides to steal something and run out the door. Security then blocks all exits, takes down everyone’s information and then bans those people that were shopping at the time from the store for the next two years.
Meanwhile, the person that stole the item not only avoids punishment, but he or she winds up hitting the lottery for $52 million a couple of months later.
Is it fair that the people in the store that didn’t steal anything got punished for one person breaking the law, even though their only connection with the criminal was that they attended the same store? And is it fair that the one person who stole something not only got off scot-free but also cashed in later?
Any reasonable person would probably answer “no” to the above scenario, which is why I don’t feel the least bit sorry for Reggie Bush that the Downtown Athletic Club is expected to strip him from his 2005 Heisman Trophy. (It’s important to note that Bush hasn’t been stripped of his Heisman yet.)
Obviously my shopping analogy isn’t the best fit because Bush never stole anything, but you get the point. Bush broke the rules and the current USC players had to pay for them. Meanwhile, Bush avoids any kind of punishment and not only that, but he also receives a $52 million contract from the Saints on top of it.




