Once upon a time, college athletes were barred from being paid via sponsorships or other money-making deals by the NCAA. This changed last year after immense pressure from the public and the association finally reversed this rule, allowing non-professional athletes to finally make money through endorsements.
Master P, one of rap's most well-known moguls, has made an empire out of negotiating deals. He told TMZ Sports that with the official NCAA rule change arriving soon, he's already managed to negotiate a $2.5 million endorsement deal for his high school basketball star son Hercy Miller.
Hercy, a 19-year-old top player at his high school, is currently committed to play at Tennesse State. "We have a lot of deals on the table, not only for Hercy, but for [son] Mercy. In August, the league is changing, the NCAA. You'll be able to make money off your likeness, you'll be able to do marketing deals," P says in the interview.
He continued, "So, right now I have a deal on the table for Hercy for $2.5 million. He never even played a lick of [college] basketball." As he explained, P believes the official rule change will happen sometime in August. When it does, Hercy will have a pretty healthy contract waiting for him.
Elsewhere in the interview, P discussed that he hopes Hercy choosing to hoop at an HBCU rather than a traditional college basketball powerhouse will push others to do the same. "The game is changing," Master P says ... "I feel like now, a lot of high school kids are gonna start saying, 'I wanna go somewhere and make history, be a part of the moment and make a difference and also get to the league.'"
"I think the spotlight from what Hercy's done is really gonna be on HBCU's and anybody that's watching this that has a kid, don't be afraid to send your kid to a HBCU." Check out the full interview with TMZ Sports above.
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