USC football: NCAA bans messages on eye-black patches

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Reggie Bush has not played for USC since 2005, but the Heisman Trophy winner continues to have an effect on college football.

Bush, of course, was at the center of an NCAA investigation into USC’s athletic program. The school is awaiting word from the NCAA regarding possible sanctions and Bush is scheduled to be deposed in a civil lawsuit next week.

Bush also was one of the first high-profile college players to pen messages on eye-black. The ‘619’ he wrote represented the San Diego area code where he grew up. In the last four years, the message trend has grown among players, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow most notably among them.

On Thursday, the NCAA banned messages on eye black. It also banned wedge blocking on kick-offs and, beginning in 2011, will toughen the rules for taunting.

--Gary Klein