Earlier Tuesday, Charles Robinson and Jason Cole of YAHOO SPORTS reported, “The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip former University of Southern California star running back Reggie Bush of college football’s top honor by the end of September, sources told Yahoo! Sports.”
After the Yahoo report was published, ESPN’s Chris Fowler reported on the network’s SportsCenter show that he had subsequently talked to members of the eight-person panel of Heisman Trustees about the status of Bush’s Heisman award.
Fowler said that the Heisman Trust “has not yet voted” on the status of Bush’s Heisman nor has it discussed the issue at a formal meeting. Fowler also noted that he was told no announcement regarding the Trust’s revocation of Bush’s Heisman “is imminent.”
ESPN did not post Fowler’s remarks on ESPN.com and was not including them in later SportsCenter reports.
While Fowler noted that the Heisman Trust has not taken action yet regarding Bush’s Heisman, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Yahoo’s initial report was inaccurate - as claimed by SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn. Yahoo only reported that a final decision on the matter would come before the end of the month.
Robinson and Cole originally broke the news of Bush taking extra benefits from two marketing agents. It was their coverage of Bush’s impropriety that ultimate brought down the USC program - leading to harsh NCAA sanctions.
UPDATE: ESPN has inserted some of Fowler’s comments into its ESPN.com report on the subject. Excerpt:
However, ESPN’s Chris Fowler told “SportsCenter” that although members of the eight-person trust have had informal conversations among themselves about what to do about Bush’s Heisman, “they certainly have not made any decision” about rescinding it.
“They haven’t made a decision. No announcement is imminent,” Fowler said Tuesday. “They have not had any formal meetings about this.”
The trust does have a regularly-scheduled meeting in September, Fowler said.
In the last sentence, the key word is “regularly.”
12:25 pm on September 7th, 2010
ESPN is as catty as a 14 yr old girl from the valley
If they didnt break the news, then they’ll shoot holes in it, and prove it to be untrue. or they will find new info to go along with the already broken news story and add that new info and re-break the news and call it theirs
1:47 pm on September 7th, 2010
Linda Cohn is speculating that Chris Fowler is rumored to be talking to the committee about the possibility of stripping Bush as speculated by Yahoo yada yada yada.
Exactly Baron…they are all a bunch of 14 year old girls and this whole thing is like junior high.
1:58 pm on September 7th, 2010
Robinson & Cole:: WHAT IF THEY WERE WRONG ABUT THE ORIGINAL STORY - ALL HERESAY NO FACTS. JUST THEIR HATE OF USC - THOSE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LIBERAL F***S!!!!
2:27 pm on September 7th, 2010
It is too bad USC has no way to suit Reggie and his no-character family for willfully breaking known rules. I am a USC fan for 65 years, and always will be, but this is all wrong. If Bush and the family cannot prove the allegations false, then they did it, and they should all be stripped of the gains they made and Reggie should at least have the courage and character to publicly apologize and willingly give up all the awards and rewards. Yeh, thats not going to happen.
USC Fight On!
3:48 pm on September 7th, 2010
Uhmm, James, there is a principle we hold dear in the US called due process. Which means you don’t prove allegations false, the accusor must prove them true. So before you condemn him at least let him have his day in court, or the tribunal, or what ever before we vote him off the island.
7:47 pm on September 7th, 2010
I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo tired of ESPN and their “need” to be the first to report inaccurate information.
I just be so glad when a new sports network comes along.