Thursday

USC faces sanctions for mishandling the Reggie Bush affair

According to reports, the University of Southern California will be handed a two-year bowl ban and the loss of more than 20 scholarships by the NCAA over improprieties centering around running back Reggie Bush.

The penalties may not end there. The university could also be sanctioned with limits on recruiting, probation and forfeiture of victories.

Moreover, Bush, the Saints all-purpose back, could be retroactively stripped of his 2005 Heisman award by the voting trust if he’s declared as an ineligible player at the time.

The trouble for USC began in March of 2006 with claims that Bush’s mother, brother and stepfather had lived in a home owned by a sports marketer and would-be agent who wanted to represent Bush when he turned professional.

The Trojans won seven straight Pac-10 championships and two national titles during the past decade under coach Pete Carroll, who left the university for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.

The university is expected to respond to the NCAA’s sanctions on Thursday.