Out of Bounds

States and colleges are increasingly turning to the courts to help protect the integrity of big-time college athletics.

Reggie Bush, the former University of Southern California running back and now a star for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, recently reached a settlement with California real estate agent and sports agent Michael Michaels, who reportedly let Bush’s family live rent-free in a $750,000 house during Bush’s college tenure. Michaels had hoped that he would represent Bush in the NFL, but when Bush signed with Mike Ornstein and Joel Segal instead, Michaels went public with the housing arrangement, drawing scrutiny to the player and the Trojans’ national championship team. The NCAA continues to investigate, and Bush’s Heisman trophy may be more than just a little tarnished; it may have to be flat out returned. Tim Henning, the Heisman coordinator, told Diverse: “The Heisman Trophy Trust is aware of the situation, but does not feel it’s appropriate to make a decision or pass judgment until the NCAA and the Pac-10 have released their findings.” Bush, for his part, has mostly refused to participate in the investigation.

While not as high profile as the Bush case, other instances of improper contact between agents and players have occurred at USC. In 1995, Robert Troy Caron, head of the sports agency Pro Manage, agreed to pay the university $50,000 to settle a lawsuit that claimed he provided three players, Shawn Walters, Israel Ifeanyi and Errick Herrin, with plane tickets, rent and other items in hopes of representing the players at the next level. After the violations surfaced, the three players, all starters, were dismissed from the team.

Agent infractions have hit universities big and small. In 2003, for example, the NCAA levied a four-year probation on Fresno State University for violations that included illicit connections between an agent and a member of the men’s basketball team during the summer of 2001.