The NCAA finally buckled to public and legal pressure and allowed student-athletes to profit from their own names, images, and likenesses, with the first deals launching at midnight on Thursday, July 1.
It’s good news for the future generations of college athletes, but it’s a tough break for past standouts like Reggie Bush. The former New Orleans Saints star and 2019 inductee to the team’s Hall of Fame was the first draft pick of the Sean Payton era, and at the time was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner — an award later taken from the USC Trojans legend after an NCAA investigation into allegations that his family that his family had received impermissible benefits owing to his status.