USC running back Reggie Bush walks off the field holding the game ball after the Trojans defeated Fresno State in 2005. Bush is being welcomed back by the school after a 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

Southern California is welcoming Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush back to his football alma mater after a 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation.

The former star running back had been prohibited from interacting in an official capacity with the school he played for from 2003-05 since NCAA sanctions handed down in 2010. Bush and USC were penalized for him and his family receiving impermissible benefits while he was still in school.

USC President Carol Folt wrote in a letter to Bush on Wednesday that he could now “be afforded the privileges and courtesies extended to all Trojan football alums.”

Bush was a key part of teams that won two national championships and had a 34-game winning streak during his USC career. He won the 2005 Heisman but the award was later vacated because of the NCAA sanctions. He is the only Heisman winner to have his award stripped.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Groups that advocate for civil rights and women’s rights have joined notable athletes in asking the NCAA to move 2021 men’s basketball tournament games out of Idaho after the state passed a law banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports.

A letter signed by athletes including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King, Jason Collins and Sue Bird calls for the NCAA to take all championship events out of Idaho. The first and second rounds of the men’s tournament are scheduled for next March at Boise State University.

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BOXING

FURY-JOSHUA AGREE TO TWO-FIGHT DEAL:  An all-British world heavyweight title showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in 2021 is a step closer.

Fury said Wednesday that an agreement has been reached with Joshua’s camp on a two-fight deal between the current holders of the heavyweight belts.

“The biggest fight in British boxing history has just been agreed,” Fury said in a video message posted on Twitter. “Two-fight deal.”

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, earlier Wednesday told British broadcaster Sky Sports that the camps had agreed to two fights.

“We’re in a good place,” Hearn said. “It’s fair to say that, in principle, both guys have agreed to that fight. Two fights.”

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Specific dates and venues have not been finalized and contracts have not been signed, but Hearn said the sides have agreed on the financial terms.

“The first fight could happen next summer,” Hearn said, although he acknowledged that “there is still a lot to overcome.”

First, Fury plans to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time. Fury’s promoter, Bob Arum, told The Associated Press on Monday that Fury “owes” Wilder a third fight after claiming the WBC belt off the American with a seventh-round stoppage in February.

On Wednesday, Fury described a third Wilder fight as a “hurdle.”

“I’ve just got to smash Deontay Wilder’s face right in, in the next fight, and then we go into the Joshua fight next year,” Fury said.

TENNIS

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FINANCIAL RELIEF: Tennis players ranked outside the top 500 in singles or outside the top 175 in doubles are eligible for grants worth up to $1,000 from the International Tennis Federation to help deal with the suspension of competition because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The ITF announced Wednesday specifics of a total relief fund worth more than $2.5 million, including money for national associations and players.

That has $350,000 earmarked for players ranked 501 to 700 in ATP or WTA singles, who receive $1,000 each, or 176 to 300 in doubles, who receive $750 each.

More than 1,000 ITF events, including junior and wheelchair tennis, have been wiped out since March because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The ATP and WTA tours also have been suspended since March. Those tours teamed with the ITF and the four Grand Slam tournaments to set up a $6 million fund for certain players, including those ranked from 101 to 500 in singles.

GOLF

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RYDER CUP: U.S. captain Steve Stricker would pick half of his 12-man Ryder Cup team under a revised points system that accounts for golf not being played for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Qualifying for the top six Americans also was extended by one week through the BMW Championship, the second of three FedEx Cup playoff events.

That leaves 12 events for Americans to earn Ryder Cup points for the Sept. 25-27 matches at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, assuming the Ryder Cup is held this year. A decision is expected by the end of the month on whether the most vocal golf event will proceed with or without fans, or be postponed until next year.

Under the previous system, Stricker had four captain’s picks. The change bumps Justin Thomas (No. 7) and Tiger Woods (No. 8) out of the last two qualifying spots, though only 19 of the 31 events to earn points have been played.

KORN FERRY: One player and three caddies have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The tour did not disclose the names of those testing positive. They were to self-isolate for at least 10 days and have two negative test results at least 24 hours apart before returning.

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The tour was to have an event in Maine from June 8 to 14 at Falmouth Country Club, but the Live + Work in Maine Open was canceled in April.

SOCCER

MANCHESTER CITY: A verdict in Manchester City’s appeal against a two-year UEFA ban from European competitions is expected within five weeks.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport set the target Wednesday of “during the first half of July” to publish the decision of its three-judge panel.

The panel finished hearing three days of evidence about allegations City broke UEFA’s club finance monitoring rules and obstructed the investigation.

The CAS hearing was held by video link between Switzerland and England at an undisclosed location in Lausanne, with expert witnesses “in various countries,” the court said.

Confidentiality was requested by UEFA and City, which is owned by Abu Dhabi’s royal family.

“At the end of the hearing, both parties expressed their satisfaction with respect to the conduct of the procedure,” CAS said in a statement.

The verdict will not affect City playing in this season’s Champions League. It is due before City should resume play in August at home to Real Madrid in the round of 16.


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