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One university really wanted Rex Chapman because the Kentucky native said on Tuesday that he was offered money when being recruited as a high school basketball star.
“I would say just a flat $500,000 in escrow that I’d get when I get out. Think about that. That’s insane," Chapman said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
Chapman was one of the most sought after players before he graduated Owensboro Apollo High School in 1986. He ultimately played at the University of Kentucky.
He didn't name the school or recruiter who offered the money. However, he also clarified that the offer came through his parents and coaches.
He said he wouldn't have known what to do if he was offered the money directly, and said he likely would have told his parents.
"Kids are too young to have adults come to them. … As a 16- 17-year-old kid, you have no idea what’s going on in life, much less big-time college athletics," he told Patrick.
Chapman's comments came after a recent Supreme Court ruling against the NCAA that clears the way for student athletes to get paid, which he said he was in favor of.
"The argument that I hear from people who have been anti-paying players forever is ‘I don’t want an athlete driving around in an Escalade on campus.’ Really? Is that what you have a problem with? You don’t seem to have a problem with Buffy and Mark over in the fraternity or sorority driving their dad’s Escalade or Mercedes. They earned this money with something they did," said Chapman.
He told MSNBC that the University of Kentucky still retains his rights from the time he was a student in 1986-88.