Charles Barkley admits to receiving money in college

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Charles-Barkley-admits-he-received-money-from-ag?urn=ncaab-270502
If not for the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations, Auburn might be vacating some victories from one of its few decent eras of basketball.

Charles Barkley was discussing Reggie Bush's decision to return the Heisman Trophy during an interview with Dan Patrick on Friday morning when the conversation turned to his own college career. The always outspoken former Auburn star admitted that he too received money from agents during college in the 1980s, though Barkley described it as "chump change" that he paid back once he signed his first NBA contract.

"If a guy wants to borrow money from an agent because he's poor, what is wrong with that?" Barkley said. "Nobody can tell me what is wrong with that. I got money from agents when I was in college and I went in the '80s. Most of the players I know borrowed money from agents. The colleges don't give us anything. If they give us a pair of sneakers, they get in trouble. Why can't an agent lend me some money and I'll pay him back when I graduate?"

He won't be the last to admit it... One of the biggest flaws in the NCAA's little rule book of ignorance...

LikesToFightGuy wrote:

He won't be the last to admit it... One of the biggest flaws in the NCAA's little rule book of ignorance...

But is that a good thing or a bad thing? Will it help them look at ways to change things or will it put the thought in more players head that it is "OK"?

The whole thing is foolish. Colleges make millions of dollars off these kids and damn few of them ever have a professional sports career.

The athletes should be paid a percentage of the profits the schools make off them. Make it a fair system where every player gets the same ammount. Where's the harm in that?

Tobe06 wrote:

The whole thing is foolish. Colleges make millions of dollars off these kids and damn few of them ever have a professional sports career.

The athletes should be paid a percentage of the profits the schools make off them. Make it a fair system where every player gets the same ammount. Where's the harm in that?

The problem they run into is the rule that if you give X amount of dollars to X amount of males athletes. You then have to do the same to the same number of female athletes. Can all schools afford that? I know that isn't fair, if you look at it football players bring in the most fans and the most money so they deserve more...right? It's not as simple as people think. You can't "just pay the players".

OUSOONERSOU wrote:

Tobe06 wrote:

The whole thing is foolish. Colleges make millions of dollars off these kids and damn few of them ever have a professional sports career.

The athletes should be paid a percentage of the profits the schools make off them. Make it a fair system where every player gets the same ammount. Where's the harm in that?

The problem they run into is the rule that if you give X amount of dollars to X amount of males athletes. You then have to do the same to the same number of female athletes. Can all schools afford that? I know that isn't fair, if you look at it football players bring in the most fans and the most money so they deserve more...right? It's not as simple as people think. You can't "just pay the players".

Title 9, as I understand it, only applies to funding for the programs. Paying athletes is something totally new, so who knows how it would applied. But it can't be that hard to come up with a formula based on which sports bring in what revenue and break it down that way. You would get into splitting costs for stuff like stadiums and training facilities, so maybe that's where the bigger sports like football could take more of the cost so female sports could get equal funding in the end.

Anyway, I agree the NCAA is making money hand over fist at the expense of these kids and it's totally unfair to hang a guy like Bush out to dry for it.

This is no different than steroids. Where the establishment and silent HoF'rs from multiple generations sit back and let the public hang the few for the crimes of the many.

Nobody asks the real question which is WTF are insitutions of higher learning doing acting as free minor leagues for pro sports anyway?

Players should be granted a monthly stipend that allows them to live reasonably. Call it $1000/month. Room and board is already provided so that oughtta cover clothes, movies, the occasional meal out etc.. That allows an honest poor kid to stay honest. Kids who are dishonest are gonna be dishonest no matter what you pay them.

I agree with Marble. A stipend to cover some reasonable monthly expenses. Other than that, they get a free education. That is student loans they don't have like most other students.

cough cough cough

AN 800 THOUSAND DOLLAR HOUSE AINT CHUMP CHANGE

HUUUUUUUUUGE DIFFERENCE

Barkley on Conan last night. He talked about watching Soap Operas when he was in college because he always skipped class. Conan joking says something about kids going to class. But then Barkley says, "Kids if you are as talented as me, you will get the grade." LOL

HAHAHA