JUSTIN COMBS SCHOLARSHIP CONTROVERSY: JUSTIN AND MOM RESPOND
Justin Combs is well on his way to UCLA with a $54,000 athletic scholarship and some people are not happy about it. While no one questions Combs’ academic excellence that earned him a spot in one of the most sought-after schools on the West coast, some argue that Justin can easily attend UCLA without $54,000 worth of financial assistance.
PHOTOS: See More Pictures Of Justin At His Graduation
UCLA have addressed such concerns in an official statement statement:
“Unlike need-based scholarships, athletic scholarships are awarded to students strictly on the basis of their athletic and academic ability — not their financial need. Athletic scholarships, such as those awarded to football or basketball players, do not rely on state funds. Instead, these scholarships are entirely funded through UCLA Athletics ticket sales, corporate partnerships, media contracts and private donations from supporters. Each year, UCLA awards the equivalent of approximately 285 full athletic scholarships to outstanding student-athletes. The scholarships are used by the UCLA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to pay students’ tuition and fees, as well as room and board. In this respect, UCLA is no different from the overwhelming majority of Division I institutions.”
Justin added to the defense via Twitter saying, “Regardless what circumstances are, I put that work in!!!! PERIOD.” Misa Hylton, Combs’ mom, also responded via social media outlet tweeting, “My Son is his own man. He will earn his own way through life. I’m so proud of my baby? it starts now! He is exactly the young man I raised him to be ? #independent#hardworking#intelligent.”
Justin was awarded a full athletic scholarship to UCLA after proving to be a distinguished football player and superb student. During his high school career, Combs maintained a 3.75 GPA and helped lead his team to several victories that took them to the playoffs. Justin is the eldest son of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
What are your thoughts? Should Justin have to give back his scholarship?
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I agree with everyone, he earned it. He seemed to have studied hard enough to be able to maintain his grade average plus be a good football player, that takes a lot of dedication and focus. By keeping the money he is earning his own way and already stepping up to the play to be his own person instead of his father money, which he could easily do. Remember the saying God Bless The Child That Has His Own. His father is rich he still have to make his way even though his father is there for him, this way he will realize how it is to be a man which every deserving woman would appreciate in the future.
Im appalled people asked this hard working kid to give back his scholarship! Are you kidding me! You know how many white kids of billionaires get full rides to Harvard and Princeton but it’s a problem for this kid?!
I also never heard complaints when Michael Jordan & Master P’s kids got schoalrhsips to college
I think that his parents could have paid his way through school, I believe it goes deeper than them paying, its WHAT IF, what if the school has a child that was good at sports, but couldn’t afford to attend UCLA and had to get loans and whatever else to help pay for his education, when he could have used a scholarship instead, but it was given to a child that earned it as well but had the money to pay for his schooling. Even though he has taken the scholarship, how about one of his parents or both PAY IT FOWARD.
Justin obviously earned the scholarship. His grades were exceptional and he’s excelled in football. Scholarships aren’t simply for those who are less fortunate.
Congrats!
i believe the only reason why justin story made news because his father is always braggin, about what he has(new money). Braggin about makin it rain in the club, and yt people seen his $300,000 maybach. So of course they feel like he should have turned down the scholarship.Justin had the oppourtinty(sp) to attend other colleges but he choice ucla. Money talks and they probably offer him the better deal. Time will tell if he is good at playing football.
This story upsets me. He worked hard in school. Why shouldn’t he get a scholarship? I’m sure there’s a program for the kids who can’t afford college tuition, but that has nothing to do with Justin or his parents. In today’s society, young black men are either selling drugs, in jail, or dead. We should be proud that Justin isn’t following in those footsteps. I don’t care about how much money Diddy has. Justin should be rewarded.
He doing his own thang right now he can be Usenet his dads money and be erresponsible kid but he did good in school and got football scholarship dude earned that he got my respect
He earned it yes and congrats to him and he should keep it BUT it would be great if Diddy was to set up a fund in an equal amount and donate it for a deserving under-privileged kid to get the opportunity to get in to a great school as well. P Diddy can pay for a hundred kids to go to school and really they do not NEED the scholarship even though he earned it fair and square. I always equate scholarships as a means for people who cannot afford entrance to a great school otherwise. We should not ignore how wealthy this man is. It seems to me like throwing money after money (and fame).
If that’s what you equate scholarships with then you have an incorrect and extremely poor understanding of scholarships.
In your eagerness to take the opportunity to cut me down by insulting my understanding/ intelligence, you have missed my point. But I don’t think you were interested in my point at all since you didn’t even bother to address it nor did you choose to correct my deemed misinterpretation of what a scholarship entitles since you seem to know all about it.
I’m so glad I was able to make you feel better about yourself in some small way : )
I am trying to understand if there is a different meaning for scholarships in America. In my country scholarships have nothing to do with your financial worth but your academic excellenc plain and simple. As much as universities want diversity in their student population they also want the best and the brightest. A way to attract the best and the brightest is through scholarships. Now there is also something call grants which is different and this is geared toward helping students who may not be financially able to afford universtity..that is something different.
So what did Justin get a grant or a scholarship?
What Lisa is trying to say is that there are plenty of students who are the best and brightest but can’t afford to go to college, and she thinks that those children should be the ones scholarships should be reserved for only. She’s not begrudging Justin his success in any way.
I for one think that their should only be academic scholarships.
Aww, somebody’s sensitive and can’t handle a discussion, that’s cute.
For the record, nobody insulted your intelligence. YOU are the one that stated “I always equate scholarships as a means for people who cannot afford entrance to a great school otherwise.” But the fact remains that scholarships are NOT just for people who “cannot afford entrance.” So yes you do have an incorrect understanding of scholarships and who they are “for”.
Scholarships are for people who meet the particular criteria of that given scholarship, not just people from lesser income backgrounds. Yes, there are need-based scholarships but there are also scholarships based on merit (academics, athletics, extracurriculars etc.), major/career categories and specific categories (race, ethnicity etc.)
As for how Sean should set up a scholarship fund to help others I find it to be a silly point because people are basically operating off the assumption that Diddy and Justin had no intention of ever giving back in the first place. Most alumni give back in some way at some point to begin with so I don’t see why people are assuming that Sean and Justin won’t or didn’t already plan on it. Furthermore while I’m not really a big fan of Sean’s in his career his donated well beyond the cost of his son’s scholarship to charities and philanthropic efforts.
So no, I did not miss your point, I just felt it was a poor one and disagreed with it.
You win : ) Have a nice night!
The controversy over this is ridiculous. If people don’t understand the difference between a need-based scholarships and an athletic, academic or other merit-based scholarship then maybe they should stop worrying about Justin’s education and go educate themselves more.
Rich kids have ALWAYS received scholarships. This is nothing new. You don’t think any of the rich kids at Ivy League school’s received scholarships? Please. The #1 draft pick in this year’s NFL draft went to Stanford on an athletic scholarship, his dad alone makes like $350,000 a year. He might not be a huge celebrity millionaire but his dad certainly could’ve afford the tuition.
As for kids he can’t afford it, the cost of college is getting pretty ridiculous and something needs to be done but people keep talking about other students who won’t be able to attend without a scholarship etc. but why didn’t those student work hard and EARN a scholarship the way Justin did? Being poor doesn’t make you entitled to a scholarship, you have to earn it. Not to mention people are making the assumption that if Justin gave back the scholarship it would automatically go to a person who is financially in need. WRONG. It would go to the next student who best meets the criteria, regardless of that student’s income.
First you don’t know that his father doesn’t contribute to a charity that gives tuition to poor children.
Justin receiving a scholarship didn’t take a scholarship away from anyone. He was awarded a scholarship based on skill and academics. If he did turn down the scholarship money there is no guarantee that the money would go to a poor child, the money could be awarded to a child whose parents are just as wealthy or even richer than Sean Combs.
Why should he give up something that he earned in order to make strangers feel better?? Students who excel academically but can’t afford college are often given an academic scholarship, so I think it’s a moot point. Kids who didn’t do that great in school should have studied harder.
He’s Black first and wealthy second. We need more educated Black men no matter the path to getting their degrees. Some have sold drugs to supplement their college funding. I know one that did and graduated successfully from Stanford’s MBA program and undergraduate business degree from U.S.F.
His Dad entered college but did not complete course work to get a degree. It would be nice if Diddy followed Shaquille O’Neal who just received his Doctorate degree last month. It’s never to late.
It’s never too late! You have to lead by example.
I am so impressed by this young man.
My issue on it before was if it was a money assistance kind of scholarship, but since it’s NOT its all good. He should keep it, he earned it.
I feel he did his work and did it well look at his GPA he maintained so if people are mad find another reason to be mad like gas prices, crime and TRAYVON those are issues that requires your emotions. Not, the fact he a $54.000 scholarship that he righfully earn.
Why should he be punished because his dad is rich?? It wasn’t given to him he EARNED it….so what’s the fuss about???
Thanks for reminding us that he got more that $50,000.
I give him credit for earning it but he should definitely give it back. My daughter is a jr. who has had straight A’s her whole life one of her best friends graduated and was in all college classes, stem advanced classes.She was on principals honor roll, volunteered etc did all she could to earn a full ride and could not get one because her parents make too much money. I understand that he earned it but morally his father can afford to pay for it and he definitely should. That scholarship should go to a student who really needs it.
Its his his he earned,not his dad
Nope! Justin go the scholaship for a reason. I get why people are upset ’cause there are people “in need” of the scholaship, but just earned it, so enough said!
So much outrage when a black kid decides to live off of their parents and not go to school. So much outrage when one works hard and receives a scholarship. Why do we as black people have to owe the world so much when we’re successful? where’s the outrage over the white kids who can afford to pay for college get a scholarship? why don’t we try and get them to give up their scholarships? why don’t we try and make their parents give other children money? I plan on being very successful and I hope to be able to pay for my children’s education but I will push them to excel so that they will receive scholarship and be rewarded. We should not be discussing this and trying to almost make him feel ashamed of his success but rather we should be praising him and encouraging other young black men to follow that kind of route.
He earned that they didn’t give it to him because of who his parents are so why should he give it back? They didn’t pick anybody else so he was suppose to get it I don’t understand why people are mad or why they think he should give it back.
There is no question. He earned it, he gets it. He didnt “take” a scholarship away from anyone, If anyone wants what he got, they need to do what he did. Its not need based, its skill based.
Joe Montana’s son got a college scholarship…Where is the out cry
Justin’s grades earned him the scholarship but I think most people are trying to say is that his father should “pay it forward”. Denzel Washington’s son JD won a scholarship to Moorehouse (GO Maroon Tigers), he took it, but Denzel paid for three other students to go to the college.
Both the school and Combs could have avoided this PR mess by just giving out a couple of scholarships to other finacially needy but deserving students. The school stands to gain financially from all the looky loos coming to the games hoping to see Combs and his entourage.
For what Combs is worth he seems to lack the philanthrophic gene. While he raised money during the NYC marathon and gave money to his almost alma mater Howard University, he could do better and his accountant would probably agree.
He earned it, but to me it still feels like he took the opportunity away from some other intelligent, deserving student of his ONE and only chance….
Who cares wut you believe, go earn something & quit waiting for handouts all the time. He earned it & you’re a lame for thinking he took something from someone else. Get off this kid already & get your own business. People have a really backwards sense of reasoning smh.
Agreed!!!
$54k will not pay for all four years of college. He earned it. I say congrats & may you shine in college.
I love Justin and he earned that scholarship! It wasn’t a need based scholarship do he earned it. Good for him! Misa, you did a great job.
Why all the fuss???? Romeo, Master P’s son, went to UCLA on a basketball scholarship and no one said a word. Any young person who EARNS a full ride scholarship should be congratulated and not made to feel bad. Justin is not rich, his father is!!! Haters are mad because he is good looking, smart and athletic. Kudo’s to Justin for being his own man and making his own way in this world without the help of his father. Remember his dad can afford to send him to any school in the world.
That’s exactly what I was thinking!! And if I’m not mistaken so did one or both of Jordan’s sons & we all know they aren’t hurting either! Point is, you get a scholarship for excelling, so regardless of how much money they have he should very well keep & be proud of it!!
I agree. His dad could have easily funded his way through any college in the WORLD but Justin is choosing to be hard working and independent.
Not only have other celebrity kids attended college on scholarships but there’s an entire world of wealthy people who have children who receive scholarships. The kids who attend elite private schools in New York City often go on to attend the top school’s in the nation. Do people think those kids didn’t get scholarships?
No Romeo went to USC!
I’m sure the family contributes to all sorts of charitable causes, including education. Shouldn’t we be more upset at rich people whose children go to ivy league schools even though they didn’t really earn their admission?
I’m a little annoyed by his mom’s punctuation spasms though.
Why are people so envious of others….and they fail to realize is that Diddy will be giving to that school from now until…so whatever Justin earned in scholarship will be returned eventually. Congrats to him.
Can we please put this issue to rest! This youngman earned “his” scholarship, both in the classroom and on the field! Im not sure who started it, but I ‘knew” it was coming. Justin, hold your head up, and keep pushing!! let them talk, let them hate, God knows and we only get what has been pre-destined for us!!! Congrats!! and welcome to reality. SMH!! Have a great season and much success!!
Justin earned that scholarship by putting in hard work and dedication. He deserved it. This just shows how you reap the benefits of putting your all in what you do! I’m happy for him! You Go Get it Justin Combs!!!!
I’ve been saying he’s earned it all along! Why punish him because his dad is rich? If kids worked hard like he’s done they would have a scholarship too.
How is it punishment if his dad could afford to pay it? It’s not need based but UCLA is a public school that is constantly in the news for being strapped for cash. I’m sorry but 3.75 is not generally enough to offer someone a full ride and being 5’7 and small as a bird doesn’t usually make for a division one cornerback. Nepotism is definitely at work so lets not fool ourselves. Maybe he did earn it but, if my dad was worth 400mil, I would think being offered the scholarship would be enough.
Coming from the standpoint of having had a 3.9 in high school and getting a full-ride, I would say that its absolutely possible. College applications aren’t just accepted based on academics. It’s a huge part of it, but well-rounded students are a must have.
The scholarship has nothing to do with the point you made, The scholarship is an athletic scholarship. He got for playing football so it shouldn’t matter. And it’s not a full-ride if you didn’t notice. It’s an athletic scholarship worth $54,000. That will pay for two years at most.
He shouldn’t accept it because his father worth 400mil, its his regardless. If he lets it go it will probably go to someone else child’s who is just as rich and just isn’t in the spotlight.
Scholarships are given to kids with great academic records. He definitely deserves his scholarship if he got such a big grant. Congrats Justin!
His father who should donate funds to the school so that another kid who is just as worthy but poor can attend.
The kid earned it and I think he should absolutely keep it, but I do think it would be a nice if his dad gave a donation for something that would benefit needy kids at the school.
His FATHER should donate funds to the school so another kid who is equally worthy but poor can attend.
If another kid is equally worthy then he could’ve owned his own scholarship.
This debate is pointless! He earned it & deserve the scholarship. There have been plenty of rich kids that have gotten scholarships based on grades, essays, & contests. Should children of rich parents be discriminated against when it comes to scholarships? Should they not be rewarded for their hard work? If he would have gotten into UCLA w/out the scholarship, people would have said Diddy paid for his son to get in that school. If Justin decided not to go to college, people would have said He just wants to live off daddy’s money. Diddy’s rich, Diddy worked hard for his money, Not Justin. I’m glad Justin wants to work hard for his instead of relying on his father.
HE earned it he’s his own man. congrats to him! he dont need or have the desire for his dad to pay for everything…great start to being an ADULT! nice G.P.A justin!
He earned it so who cares what they think. Like he said he put the work in so they will just have to get over it!!!! Congrats once again to Justin.
Its wonderful that he has earned this opportunity. Personally, I know their are lessor fortunate people out there that could use the scholarhsip, so I would still go the school, but ask them to give the scholarship to a student that couldnt afford the school. I’m just giving in that way. But to each’s own. Congratulations, I know Misa and Puffy are very proud!
I’m glad he’s not satisfied with just being “Diddy’s son”. He has a lot of potential, and he’s working hard and earning his own success. He should be congratulated for that.
He most definantly should not give back his scholarship. He earned it. It takes a lot of hard work to do what he did. It does not matter who his father is and how much he earned.
I AGREE WITH JUSTIN AND HIS MOM….THAT BABY DESERVED IT AND IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO HIS FATHER IS, HE MADE THE CHOICE TO BE A SCHOLAR AND NOW UCLA IS AWARDING HIM FOR THAT SO CONGRATS!!!
Regardless of whether his parents can afford to pay for his education, the fact is, he earned it. Congrats Justin!