Charles Barkley told OutKick's Dan Dakich that he refuses to donate to Auburn University's On To Victory NIL fund to buy players -- claiming he loves Auburn, but not enough to go back to being black and broke.
"My biggest pet peeve, and I've told them, y'all can't call me every year asking for millions of dollars, that's not gonna happen" Charles Barkley said. "Ya'll need to stop. I love Auburn, I love Auburn. But the chances of me going back to black and broke again because I want Auburn to be good in football and basketball, that's not gonna happen.
"I love my school, but I don't love them that much."
Of course, former athletes like Barkley aren't the true power players when it comes to NIL buying power. Instead, business leaders like the "Yella Fella" Jimmy Rane, owner of YellaWood, and former trustee Bobby Lowder are the ones who can move the needle for the Tigers; not to mention the many successful alumni who can collectively make a dent with the right marketing push.
Charles Barkley more likely to pay for an Auburn football recruit than Auburn basketball
Barkley did seem more open to helping AU land a football player than a basketball player. Not because he never got an NIL check when he was playing, but because a basketball player may only be on campus for six months while a football player could stick around for up to three years.
"If I am gonna give a guy a couple million, which is crazy to even think about because were paying a guy a couple million to go to school for six months. What's the benefit to the school?," Barkley prefaced before saying, "Football is a little bit different, cause at least you get three years of them. But if I'm gonna pay a basketball player two million dollars, and he's only going to be on campus for six months and it's kinda hard to throw a bunch of guys together, and we lose in the first or second round, I don’t understand how that helps the program."
Even a football player may only stick around for a few months with the transfer portal granting players unlimited do-it-over cards with unlimited transfers.
Barkley just doesn't believe in what NIL is doing to the sport and sounds unwilling to take part of it at this point.
Maybe a can't-miss recruit can change this stance in the future, but it'll be in football, if anything.