Reggie Bush said yesterday that his decision to relinquish his Heisman Trophy is “not an admission of guilt,” just the best way to end the controversy.

“It’s me showing respect to the Heisman Trophy itself and to the people who came before me and the people coming after,” Bush said after New Orleans Saints practice. “I just felt like it was the best thing to do, the most respectful thing to do because obviously I do respect the Heisman. I do respect all the things it stands for.”

The Heisman Trophy Trust had discussed reviewing Bush’s eligibility for the award after an NCAA report concluded that Bush and his family had improperly accepted cash and gifts from sports agents while Bush was playing for USC.

Bush said he thought returning the award was the best way to move forward.

“I felt just to kind of silence all the talk around it, all the negativity around it — I felt like this would be the best decision to do right now so I could focus,” he said.

Bush is now the first winner in the 75-year history of the Heisman — one of the most prestigious prizes in American sports — to forfeit the award.

“I feel like he’s tried to put himself in a position to do whatever he can do to help the situation,” said Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, also a former USC teammate of Bush. “He’s always been a good guy as long as I’ve known him at USC and here in New Orleans. … Hopefully [people will] finally leave him alone about it. It’s five or six years ago. We need to let it go and move on.”

—Posted by Sabrina B.