BEST OF NEWSOK: BERRY TRAMEL'S BLOG ;Bush's USC legacy is destroyed

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:09 p.m. ET

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It's a trite argument that NCAA penalties punish the innocent, that the guilty often are gone and the innocent are left to pick up the pieces. Such as at Southern Cal, where Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush are off to NFL glory, with only assistant coach Todd McNair, whose contract was not renewed, facing serious repercussions.

Not that it isn't true. It's just trite. Don't run a clean program, or sign on with an unclean program, and pay the price. It's that way at USC or Oklahoma or anywhere.

But the announcement Tuesday by USC president-elect C.L. Max Nikias that Bush basically will be banishedfrom campus is no small punishment. Bush's ban isn't physical, at least as far as I know. But his legacy has been crushed.

USC is giving back Bush's Heisman. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York hands out two trophies. The winner gets one. The winner's school gets one. Bush, who won the 2005 Heisman but has been found guilty by the NCAA of taking benefits and money from agents, can do with his Heisman whatever he wants.

But the Trojans are getting rid of their Bush Heisman. The Bush Heisman no longer will sit in USC's Heritage Hall with those won by outgoing athletic director Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson (gulp), Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.

That's no small punishment. That's tough love. That's a statement.

There has been lots of talk about whether the Downtown Athletic Club should revoke Bush's Heisman, andit's a silly question. You can't rewrite history. You can't go taking back awards. Just as baseballshouldn't lift those MVPs won by Barry Bonds or the Cy Youngs won by Roger Clemens, college footballcan't go pulling Heismans.

But that doesn't mean Bush's alma mater has to honor it.No matter what he says, the Heisman banishment has got to be a bitter blow to Bush. As is the announcement by USC that murals depicting Bush and basketball star O.J. Mayo, who also ran afoul of NCAA rules, would be taken down in Heritage Hall, the LA Coliseum and SC's new basketball arena, the Galen Center.

To be ostracized by your alma mater, to be told that your exploits would not be celebrated, is serious punishment. I don't know if Bush realizes it yet or not. I don't know if 20-year-old athletes can understand the ramifications. But being told that your accomplishments no longer carry weight on campus is a major blow to an athlete's legacy.

If Bush acts like he doesn't care, don't worry. He's bluffing or he will care, one of the two.

This was a solid, serious move by USC. Forget the Trojans, for a moment. Think of something closer to home. Think of the pride associated with OU's football stars. Think if Billy Sims was told his Heisman was no longer wanted in the Switzer Center. Sims would be crushed, and rightfully so.

You can't change history. You can't go giving out new awards or changing the result of games. But you can make it clear that doing your school wrong will lead to your school wanting no remembrances of things past, even the good times. That's a heavy price to pay, and Reggie Bush is paying it.