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Coach Jim Mora apparently had no idea that his staff had an extended offer to Diamond Bar (Calif.) wide receiver Cordell Broadus, who just happened to be the son of (and a massive Pete Carroll/Trojan fan) Snoop Dogg. That's story according to Bryan Fischer on CBSSports.com:
"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.
Don't think I am going to buy the line about Mora having no idea.
Remember this is the same guy who is supposed to be so detail oriented that he pays attention to what kind of socks his team is wearing to the practice field. So color me skeptical about the claim that he had no idea Broadus was the son of Snoop.
Something seems a little off here. If Broadus is a legitimate recruit with D-1 skills, then Mora and his staff should make no apologies about extending this offer. But if they are unsure about his talent or potential, they shouldn't be sending out messages that make him look kind of silly and out of touch in the media.
We have no problem with defending Mora and his staff for offering scholarship to son of a famous father if the kid has ability and is UCLA material both on and off the field. What is a little troubling is to see Mora making statements in the media that makes him and his staff look a little out of sync. Not a lot of margin of error for a staff that is under pressure to produce a great season (with an easy schedule) in their very first year.
GO BRUINS.
UPDATE [N]: As noted in this post in the Daily News' Prep Sports Bulletin Mora made his comments referenced above to Cordell's HS coach. So he didn't make the comment to the media as it was initially reported. However, the point about his comments and his approach towards this weird recruiting saga stands. It doesn't make any sense how someone like Mora who has been so hyped as detailed oriented not knowing a basic fact about the identity of his targeted recruits family members. Anyway, we are not going to press on this any longer but file away as a reference point for now. GO BRUINS.