Arian Foster says he was illegaly paid $40k-$50k by boosters during time at UT

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NFL star and former University of Tennessee running back Arian Foster reiterated his claim that he was illegally paid by boosters during his playing time in Knoxville during an interview on a radio show, this time saying that he accepted approximately $40,000 to $50,000 at UT from 2004-08.

"You have people help you out here and there," Foster said Thursday on the Dan LeBatard show. "Boosters and alumni and ex-players, they all know how it is, man. It's hard living check to check when you don't have enough money to go out to the movies or any kind of leisure activity. And you're not allowed to get a job. Especially when I was in college, they were a lot more stringent on those rules, so at any given chance I got the opportunity, I took a free handout. Absolutely."

LeBatard pushed Foster for an exact dollar figure. Foster guessed that it was "40, 50 grand throughout my entire career."

Foster also said that he met his wife Romina through an agent when he was in college. He said the agent, who he did not name, was courting both he and Romina when he was finishing his career and Romina was singing in a girl group. He said the agent took them out on a boat in Chattanooga to "wine and dine us. It was definitely illegal by NCAA standards." Foster said he and Romina kept in touch since then, eventually started dating and are now married with two children. He did not sign with the agent, he said.

Foster has claimed before that he was paid. In 2013, he was interviewed for a documentary called "Schooled: The Price of College Sports."

"I don't know if this will throw us into an NCAA investigation — my senior year, I was getting money on the side," Foster said then. "I really didn't have any money. I had to either pay the rent or buy some food. I remember the feeling of like, ‘Man, be careful.' But there's nothing wrong with it. And you're not going to convince me that there is something wrong with it. ... There were plenty of times where throughout the month I didn't have enough for food. Our stadium had like 107,000 seats; 107,000 people buying a ticket to come watch us play. It's tough just like knowing that, being aware of that."

Foster clarified his comments at the time, saying that none of the payments came from a coach. Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said at the time that he could not comment on allegations made that long ago. Hart was hired in 2011. Phillip Fulmer, who was coach at Tennessee during Foster's career, said he was not aware of any payments to players.

Foster ran for 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns at Tennessee, but only broke the 1,000 yard barrier once in his four seasons. He signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009, but blossomed in the NFL, reaching four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons, rushing for a total of 6,309 yards and 53 touchdowns.

At least one Tennessee player disputes Foster's claim. Ryan Karl, a former teammate of Foster's who played linebacker with the Vols, linked to Foster's interview on his Facebook page on Friday.

"So Arian Foster I gotta call you out here," Karl wrote. "You're my boy, but you did not get $40-50k from boosters while at UT. Shoot, you were as broke as me in college driving a crap car living in a crap apartment - like us all. Also, these claims of being wined and dined by agents is a big stretch too. You are a baller now but at the time, you were a risky pick with who ended up being a free agent. Quit trying to grab attention while throwing your school under the bus."

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