Reggie Bush's Junior Achievement

Well now, maybe it was a good thing that Reggie Bush left USC after his junior season. Otherwise the Trojans could be in serious trouble with the NCAA. Somebody spilled the beans to Yahoo! Sports and the Miami Herald on the living arrangements of Bush's family last season. According to the reports, the family moved from a 1,441-square-foot condominium and into a new 3,002-square-foot house last year in Spring Valley, Calif., after it was purchased for $757,237 by Michael Michaels, a member and employee of a San Diego-area Indian tribe. Michaels, it is alleged, tried to steer Bush to sign with New Era Sports & Entertainment, a fledgling marketing and contract agency headed by David Caravantes, who told the San Diego Union-Tribune: "If things worked out, we going to try to put something together (to become business partners)." ... Communsurate rent in this subdivision is at least $2,500 a month. Stepfather LaMar Griffin, who according the Union-Tribune has faced financial troubles for unpaid bills, works security at Morse High in San Diego. Denise Griffin, Bush's mother, works at the county jail. In other words, the Bush family is from modest means (that will soon change, of course). In the end, Reggie didn't sign with New Era, instead picking Miami-based Joel Segal and former Raider exec Mike Ornstein, who will handle marketing. So the plan to secure Reggie's services blew up and now Michaels has lost his tenants because the Bushes, who even etched their name in concrete on the driveway, moved out Friday. So what's the problem with all of this? NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes or their families from receiving extra benefits from professional sports agents, marketing companies or their representatives. The Pacific 10 is promising to investigate, but expect the conference to hand off to the NCAA. The bottom line? Given what we know and because Reggie is long gone, this will result in a slap on the wrist for USC. Nonetheless, we are very entertained (some registration).