USC Running Back Gets Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty for High-Fiving Reggie Bush

You think you know ticky-tack penalties watching the NFL week-in and week-out. Then a call comes along on the college level to remind you that they are also the laboratories for absurdity. The most recent example is USC getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct over a high five during their game against Utah last night. 

Granted, that high five was to Reggie Bush, a notorious figure in USC history if ever there was one. After Bush won the Heisman at the school in 2005, he was discovered to have received improper benefits and gifts while playing there. The NCAA vacated his award, USC’s national championship, and banned them from bowl games for two years following the investigation’s conclusion. They also forced USC to end any association with Bush. Last night was his first game at USC since being allowed back on campus, a return that was almost a decade in the making. 

After his first career touchdown, Markese Stepp ran to where Bush was standing and gave him a high five. The refs thought this was worth a 15-yard penalty. Take a look for for yourself. 

Reggie Bush broke the (dumb, bad) rules that allow the NCAA to maintain its facade of amateurism and not pay players out of the money their labor and names generate. They finally saw well enough to walk it back a little bit, but the refs didn’t get the message. 

At least USC got the last laugh. They beat Utah, 30-23.