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Muller: Why The Outrage Over P. Diddy's Son's Scholarship?

By Shawn Muller-

(CBS) If you are one of those people out there that is upset, enraged, or embarrassed about Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' son, Justin Combs, getting a full athletic scholarship to play football at UCLA, I have a bit of advice for you:

Get off your high-horse and let the kid enjoy his own accomplishments.

So what if the elder Combs has enough money to finance a small country?

Who cares if there are other kids out there that you feel may "deserve" the scholarship more than Combs because of need?

The fact of the matter is that it shouldn't matter how much money a kid's parents have.  If the younger Combs can ball, then he deserves the same scholarship opportunities afforded to those athletes that don't enjoy the same socioeconomic status that he is fortunate enough to enjoy.

"But Combs taking up a scholarship is taking away an opportunity from someone else to play football at UCLA that otherwise wouldn't be able to attend the university."

Cry me a river.

It's not Justin Combs' fault that he took advantage of the scholarship offer.  He got the offer from Jim Mora Jr. to play for UCLA and he decided to end the recruiting process and commit.  Each and every other kid that was also offered the opportunity to play for the Bruins—wealthy and poor-- had the chance to commit to the program just like Combs.

They didn't.

Combs did.

Deal with it.

What is this kid supposed to do?  Apologize for having a wealthy father?  His accomplishments on the football field should have nothing to do with who his dad is.

Answer me this: Where was the outrage when Nick Montana—the son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana—accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame?

How mad was everyone when Barry Sanders Jr. (I think you know who his father is) signed his letter of intent to play football at Stanford next season?

I also hear Ray Lewis Jr. is going to follow in his father's footsteps of playing at the University of Miami by verbally committing to become a member of head coach Al Golden's 2013 Hurricanes recruiting class.

How is the Combs situation any different than the three listed above?  I am pretty sure that Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, and Ray Lewis have the finances to pay for their children to attend college, so what separates Justin and Sean Combs from the rest?

And please; don't give me the, "Well, Montana, Sanders, and Lewis come from a "football pedigree" nonsense?  Just because those kids fathers were/are great football players doesn't mean the sons will be too.

The fact is Combs coming from a wealthy background should not play a part in his scholarship "worthiness" at all and he isn't the first—and definitely won't be the last—child of wealthy parents that receives a scholarship offer.

Famous father or not, Justin Combs apparently has the talent to be a division one athlete at a BCS conference school, so I say congratulations and good luck at UCLA young man.

You have nothing to apologize for.

Jeff Pearl
The author. (credit: Jeff Pearl)

Shawn Muller has lived in the great city of Chicago for 7 years. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, in October of 2010, Shawn received his certificate in radio broadcasting. In his free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and 3 year old daughter Ava, catching any live sporting event, and traveling. Check out his radio show, Grab Some Bench with Muller and Bangser" every Thursday night at 8:30 P.M., at www.blogtalkradio.com/spmuller24. Read more of his blogs here.

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