Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins Downplays NIL Deal Reportedly Worth $2 Million
Thanks to an NIL deal, Kansas State forward Coleman Hawkins got to experience the life of a professional athlete.
When it was announced he was transferring from Illinois earlier this summer, his price tag was all over the headlines. There were several reports of Hawkins receiving a deal worth $2 million to play another college season.
Hawkins recently discussed it during an appearance on the Sleepers podcast but did not reveal too much.
"I wouldn't mind being the highest-paid whatever as long as it didn't come with a public announcement," Hawkins said. "But all that is allegedly. It didn't come from me. I never said what I made. That was alleged. I'm not speaking on anything like that."
Hawkins said he received lots of criticism online from those who felt he wasn't worth that kind of money. He withdrew from the NBA draft because he was considered a late-second round pick at best.
Still, Hawkins believes he's worth whatever compensation a program is willing to offer.
"There's a lot of pressure," Hawkins said. "I see people now, like ... saying `he's not worth this. He's not worth that.' At the end of the day, I stayed at a school for four years and won a lot of games for that school. If we're talking college basketball, I'm still a valuable piece."
The Wildcats will find out this season when he joins a talented roster full of transfers that is expected to contend for the Big 12 title.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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