Playing take-away

NEW YORK -- — One says that rules are rules, and Reggie Bush should lose his Heisman Trophy if he broke them.

Another says Bush's parents -- not the former USC star -- should be punished.

A third warns about rushing to judgment before all the facts are known.

Those were among the views of fellow Heisman winners when asked recently whether Bush should be allowed to keep his trophy if the NCAA determines he was ineligible when he won it.

"Everybody has to play by the same rules," said Tim Brown, who won the 1987 Heisman as a Notre Dame receiver. "Did what happened with him off the field encourage him or entice him to play better football on the field? Did it free him up? You just don't know. You can't ever evaluate that kind of stuff. If I'm getting paid, I can go out and be free playing the game if I don't have those kind of pressures on me."

Bush is facing an NCAA investigation into whether he and his family accepted improper benefits when he was at USC. He is also the defendant in a civil lawsuit by a would-be San Diego sports marketer, who has claimed he gave the player and his family cash and gifts over a period during 2004-05.

If the NCAA imposes a penalty on USC and/or Bush, the New Orleans Saints running back could have his '05 Heisman revoked. That would be unprecedented.

"You've got to get all the facts before you rush to judgment," said Ty Detmer, who won the Heisman as Brigham Young's quarterback in 1990. "Now if it was the kid's parents taking things and he really had no control over that, he still had to play on the field and do all those things. You can't fault a kid for what his parents do. So we should wait to get all the facts on it.

"If it turns out to be something else, then you make a judgment off of those facts."

Set for release in mid-January is "Tarnished Heisman: Did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season Into a Six-Figure Job?" a book written by Don Yaeger and Jim Henry.

According to Simon & Schuster's website: "With the explosive information revealed in 'Tarnished Heisman,' Bush stands to be ruled ineligible -- a decision that could cost his alma mater the 2004 national championship title, force the forfeit of every game Bush played in after losing his eligibility, and potentially strip Reggie Bush of the shining prize of his college career: the Heisman Trophy."

Heisman officials declined to comment on the situation or the book at the annual dinner honoring the latest winner, who this year is Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.