UCLA Defends $54K Scholarship for Diddy's Kid

It goes without saying that Justin Combs, son of Sean "Diddy" Combs, doesn't need any financial help in order to attend college, yet UCLA has awarded him a full $54,000 athletic scholarship to play on its football team starting this fall. Needless to say, outcry ensued, but the university is defending its decision, the New York Daily News reports. "There's a misconception out there that somehow athletic scholarships would take away money from low-income students who need need-based aid," a spokesman says. "That's not the case. Athletic scholarships are awarded strictly on the basis of athletic and academic ability."

Not only is the scholarship separate from need-based financial aid, but it is not funded by taxpayers, he adds. Rather, it is funded entirely by UCLA Athletics ticket sales, private donations, corporate partnerships, and media contracts. (More Sean Combs stories.)