Barkley admits he took agent money at Auburn

Charles Barkley’s never been shy about speaking his mind. But he’s outdone himself this time.

The NBA legend admitted on the Dan Patrick Show that he received money from agents while playing at Auburn in the ‘80s. And -- no surprise -- he doesn’t have any regrets about it.

“If a guy wants to borrow money from an agent because he’s poor, what is wrong with that?” Barkley told Patrick. “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?”

The topic came up because Barkley and Patrick were discussing Reggie Bush and his decision this week to return the Heisman Trophy Bush won in 2005. Bush was later found to have received money and other illegal benefits from agents. Barkley offered a simple solution.

“Reggie made one mistake. He should have paid those (agents) back and this whole thing never would have happened,” he told Patrick

It’s no surprise that Barkley, a three-time All-SEC selection and the No. 5 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, advocates college athletes should be paid. He doesn’t think it should be massive money, but a stipend for some “walking around money.”

Want more? Listen to the entire interview here.

(H/T: Jeff Eisenberg)

Mike Miller’s also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller, usually talkin’ hoops. Click here for more.