Where's Reggie?

By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible

The long awaited deposition of Reggie Bush came and went this past Monday. One problem. Bush wasn't there.

 

Bush was scheduled to be deposed on Monday, February 25 by attorneys for Lloyd Lake, the apparent sports agent who allegedly gave thousands of dollars to Bush and his family during Bush's playing days at USC.

 

Lake sued Bush for breach of contract and is seeking damages in the amount of $291 thousand. While the suit is well under way, neither Lake or Bush have yet to be deposed.

 

Lake walked out of his deposition after one of Bush's security members flashed a gun. Normal.

 

On Monday, Bush simply failed to show up for his deposition. Bush's lawyer did provide notice that he would not be attending but rumors are beginning to surface that Bush's legal team is trying to prevent the NCAA from getting a transcript of his deposition testimony.

 

Bush has repeatedly denied taking any money or gifts while at USC but the evidence against him is starting to pile up. Bush settled another case with Michael Michael's, Lake's former business associate, for an undisclosed amount of money. Most notably, a damaging book has been written detailing numerous alleged financial transactions between Bush, Lake and Michaels.

 

At the very least, this is starting to become a public relations nightmare for Bush. However, all of these allegations concern his collegiate career, so Bush does not have to worry about being sanctioned by the NFL, but his reputation as an honorable collegiate athlete could be destroyed.

 

Oh, and that peice of hardware he took home in 2006 is also at stake. If the NCAA discovers he took any cash or gifts while playing football for USC, Bush will be deemed ineligible pursuant to NCAA rules. Therefore, he would be stripped from his Heisman Trophy award.

 

Bush's camp had little to say about his unavailability for the deposition Monday, but the fact that his lawyers want to prevent the NCAA from getting his deposition testimony infers that Bush may have something to hide. If he admits to taking cash or gifts from Lake or anyone else, once NCAA investigators get wind of this, he is sure to lose his Heisman.

In the alternative, if Bush settles with Lake out of court, he may be able to avoid NCAA penalties by requiring Lake to agree to a confidentiality agreement where all parties would be prevented from discussing the case in exchange for the agreed upon settlement amount. Bush could say he paid Lake to avoid litigation and may not have to admit a single thing.

If Bush settles, it would not look good in the court of public opinion. A settlement with Lake would confirm public speculation that he took money while playing for USC. Bush will have to eventually show up for a deposition and judging by what we have seen already, there's no telling what we will learn from him.