Chris Simms says he accepted ‘a few $100 handshakes’ while at Texas

Former Texas quarterback Chris Simms appeared to be a child of privilege.

His father was former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms. His son probably didn’t arrive at the Forty Acres with any real concerns about his finances, along with the benefits of a football scholarship.

But during his playing career with UT from 1999-2002, Simms hinted earlier today on a national radio show that he and other former Longhorn players might have received extra benefits above the value of his scholarship.

While appearing this morning on the CBSSports national radio show Tiki and Tierney, Simms said extra money was available for Longhorn athletes when he played there.

“They didn’t pay me, but there may have been cash going around to some other players,” Simms said. “I’m not going to deny that. I may have gotten a few $100 handshakes every now and then to sign some autographs for alumni.

“I don’t care how rich your upbringing was. Yes, I grew up with a silver spoon, but if you give me a few extra $100 as a college kid, that’s great.”

Simms later followed his father into the NFL, playing five seasons with Tampa Bay, Denver and Tennessee before retiring to similarly become a television analyst. He was always a stand-up guy when he played with the Longhorns — although he was sheltered by Coach Mack Brown during his competition with Major Applewhite for the Longhorns’ starting quarterback job.

It’s good he’s finally coming correct about his earlier transgressions, although the NCAA’s new Cost of Attendance benefits likely would have taken care of these concerns if it had been available during his playing career.

[“source – blog.chron.com”]