The University of Southern California will attempt to wipe away Reggie Bush’s legacy by removing all photographs, jerseys and awards that he earned while playing football for the school. The school has even decided to return Bush’s Heisman Trophy. USC was placed on two years probation after an agent revealed that he gave Bush thousands of dollars before he made it to the NFL.
On Thursday, Charles Barkley spoke on 790 The Zone’s “Mayhem in the AM” radio show and shared his controversial views on Bush and the state of college athletics. –amir shaw
Barkley on the corruption in collegiate sports:
“I think it’s a travesty. All of these coaches and the NCAA are getting mad at these guys for taking money. I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus, but players have always taken money from agents. You have to pay them back, but players have been taking money for years. Agents give you money because they want you to sign with them. I have no problem with it. Agents are trying to sign these players so they give them money. College sports are corrupt. And they are getting mad at a player getting money from an agent?”
Barkley on why college coaches are pimps:
“Nick Saban of the University of Alabama calls the agents pimps. But the coaches pimp more than agents. At least these agents are investing in these players. These college programs are making so much money that I think it’s a travesty that USC is trying wipe Bush’s legacy away. How much money did they make when he was there? With all the money they made during that three-year period when they won 34 straight games, its ridiculous what they are doing.”
Barkley admits to taking money from an agent:
“Players have always gotten money from agents. Bush should have paid the guy back and it would have gone away. Bush handled it wrong. [When I played] I didn’t want my mom working if I knew that I would make it to the NBA. I took money from three guys. The guy I signed with was a crook. He stole money from 30 players. He didn’t give me money in college. I paid the guys back. My agent sent them some money. The money went to me and my mom.”
Barkley on why the NCAA is a business:
“Players make these colleges money. We at [Turner] just bought the NCAA tournament for $11 billion. Let’s stop joking like this is amateur stuff. These schools are raiding powerful conferences for TV contacts. When I played it was amateur athletics. But if your school is raiding conferences to get TV marketing and revenue, there’s no integrity. NCAA sports [are] bona fide big business.”
