Justin Combs has received scholarship offers from UCLA, Virginia, Illinois and other Division I programs, according to his Rivals.com profile.
After mulling over the decision, Combs chose to take his talents to UCLA.
The diminutive cornerback from Iona Prep in New York State has become the subject of a hot debate: Should children from financially stable families be excluded from athletic scholarships?
I say no.
For those of you who aren’t aware of the Combs controversy, his father is Sean “Diddy” Combs. Yes, the music mogul who pivoted his business into fashion, restaurants and spirits. “Diddy” has an estimated net worth of $550 million.
The cost of tuition at UCLA is a price that “Diddy” would consider lunch. Although prices shown vary for UCLA Tuition FeesI’m guessing Justin Combs’ purse is worth a little over $54,000.
The question at hand isn’t whether Justin Combs’ father can afford the tuition; Is Justin Combs more of a UCLA caliber athlete?
If the UCLA coaches made the kid an offer, they must have seen something that excited them. There are other examples of children of famous parents who received athletic scholarships and no one cried foul. Here’s a list of kids whose parents are famous and who went on to play college sports on scholarship:
Mike Golic (NFL): his sons Mike and Jake both play football at Notre Dame
Joe Montana (NFL): his son Nick plays football in Washington
Tim Hardaway (NBA): his son Tim plays basketball at Michigan
Glen Rice (NBA) – son Glen plays basketball at Georgia Tech
Master P (rapper/almost NBA player): his son, Romeo Miller, played basketball at USC for two years
Calvin Hill (NFL): his son Grant played basketball for Duke and the NBA
Ken Griffey, Jr. (MLB) – his son Trey will play football in Arizona
This is just a small list of people who could have gone to school without the help of a scholarship. Think about Andrew Chance-his father, Oliver, played in the NFL and is an athletic director at West Virginia University. Did Andrew Luck need the scholarship?
What about Peyton and Eli Manning? Their father, Archie, could have paid for his sons to go to school if they hadn’t. won a scholarship.
And that’s the key word. Won.
The younger Combs worked on and off the field (he had 3.75 GPA at Iona Prep).
Nobody cried foul when Romeo Miller used to ensure commitment from his close friend DeMar DeRozan at USC. Tim Floyd even vaguely admitted that there was a reason for Romeo Miller’s offer. The linked article from The Wall Street Journal takes note of a conversation between Master P and Floyd (USC hoops coach at the time).
Now, if you want to talk about not winning a scholarship and getting by with favors/favoritism, the Romeo Miller situation is a good example.
Having financially well-off parents should not prevent you from being recognized for your athletic achievements. It would be like telling a kid who was valedictorian of his high school class with a near-perfect ACT or SAT score that he couldn’t receive a college scholarship because his mother is an accomplished heart surgeon and his father is a lawyer. foreground.
How can this make sense?
Suggesting that Justin Combs should have turned down the UCLA scholarship sends a horrible message.
People should rejoice in the fact that a child from a luxurious lifestyle is determined to achieve things on his own and not rely on his father’s name. Justin Combs is trying to make a name for himself and create his own image. Why people don’t want to see him do this is beyond my understanding.
Say what you want about “Diddy,” but put yourself in his shoes. Would you rather feed your child $100 bills daily or watch your child take life by the horns and make their own path?
