"What's that? Rappers? Don't talk about rappers. Rappers? Are you kidding me?" an excited Jim Mora said. "His last name wasn't Dogg, I had no idea."
Well, he didn't say that but we kind of hope he could have because the UCLA coach claims he didn't know that Diamond Bar (Calif.) wide receiver Cordell Broadus, whom he offered a football scholarship over the weekend, was the son of famous rapper Snoop Dogg.
"Jim Mora called me on Sunday to tell me why he offered him and he said he didn't find out until after that he was Snoop's son," Diamond Bar coach Ryan Maine told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. "He said he liked his competitive nature, his size and his frame, especially for him only being a sophomore."
First off, Broadus has been well-known as a player from his brief time at powerhouse Long Beach Poly (his father's alma mater) and is
a legitimate Pac-12-caliber prospect based on his athleticism and talent. But like it or not, the story is he's the son of the guy who drops it like it's hot or otherwise only a handful of Bruins supporters would be interested in hearing that the program offered a rising sophomore wideout. Is it plausible that Mora didn't make the connection between Snoop Dogg, who's full name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr., and his son? Maybe. You would have to think somebody on the staff knew who a kid's father is before offering a scholarship though.
"I was surprised he got an offer this early," Maine continued. "I thought it might come after he started playing this season. He was real humble about it and didn't even want anybody to know because he didn't want anything to get blown out of proportion. He knows a lot can change in three years with coaching staffs and things like that."
This isn't the first time the school has been embroiled in the middle of a rap controversy (UCLA is, of course, all about the West Coast but we're not talking about that rap controversy). In Februrary the school signed Justin Combs, who committed to the school the day Rick Neuheisel was fired and is the son of hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. This prompted outrage -- several months after Signing Day by the way -- that the well off Combs should pay his own way at the school and free up a scholarship for somebody else. The Bruins brass naturally said that was nonsense and that he received a merit-based scholarship.
While UCLA may not have set out to become, as Eye on College Football blogger Jerry Hinnen said it, 'Famous Rapper Son U,' it kind of has regardless. Mora has delegated most recruiting aspects to his assistants such as Adrian Klemm and Demetrice Martin so it's possible he wasn't aware of the program's new reputation but you can bet the first year college head coach does now.
Jim Mora didn't know he offered Snoop Dogg's son - CBSSports