Museum Returns Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy

The case of Reggie Bush’s missing 2005 Heisman Trophy appears to have been solved.

For months, the Heisman Trust has waited for Bush and his family to turn over the most coveted piece of hardware in college football after he was stripped of it for receiving illegal benefits while he was a player at USC.

The Bush family had given the Heisman Trophy to the San Diego sports museum back in March where it had been in storage since. But the museum in Bush’s hometown returned it to the family on Friday, writes the San Diego Union-Tribune.

This is a complete about face after the museum said earlier this month that it planned to display Bush’s Heisman.

"The San Diego Hall of Champions today returned Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy to the Bush family," the museum said in a statement released Friday. "In doing so, the organization feels it is best to direct any further questions to the Bush family or the Heisman Trust.

"The San Diego Hall of Champions supports Reggie Bush in all his athletic and community involvement endeavors, and values his commitment to San Diego and the museum. The Hall also has a deep respect for the work of the Heisman Trust and its work to honor excellence in NCAA football, and remains committed to obtaining and displaying sports memorabilia that has local, national and international significance."

Now the next step in the matter is for Bush, who was drafted No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2006 and remains with the franchise, to send the Heisman Trophy back to its rightful owners.

Bush agreed to relinquish the trophy last fall, but has not made his Heisman available to the Downtown Athletic Club.

The Heisman Trust has decided it will just vacate the 2005 trophy rather than give it to the runner up, the University of Texas’ Vince Young.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris

(Photo: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)