I was a bit surprised when I came across this interview Sports Illustrated did with Gucci Mane. They asked him about his friendship with NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, as a Falcons fan what he thinks about the Michael Vick situation and what Brick Squad would be if it were a sports team (funny answer). What surprised me the most was his answer on whether or not college athletes should be paid. Check it out after the jump.
I know you’ve tweeted with Denny Hamlin in the past. Are you still into NASCAR?
Gucci Mane: Yeah, I like it. I’m a big NASCAR fan. It’s not my favorite sport but I look at it sometimes. We haven’t spoken in a minute, but he was a cool dude. I got to take him to my house and show him my cars. He was cool as hell.
What’s other sports to you watch?
Gucci Mane: My favorite sport by far is football. Huge Falcons fan. I’m a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Huge Atlanta Hawks fan.
You’ve name-checked athletes from Wilt Chamberlain to Quincy Carter in your songs. Do you have a favorite sports memory?
Gucci Mane: One of my closest friends I’ve made that is an athlete would be Julio Jones. And I’d just like to take the opportunity if I can to say shout out to Julio and tell him I appreciate all the small things he do for me and the boys. We appreciate.
Being a Falcons fan, how did you feel about the Michael Vick situation when it went down?
Gucci Mane: I was a huge Vick fan. It kind of saddened me to see him go through what he was going through. And as a fan of the Falcons, I hated to see such a great player leave. But I’m still glad they got Matt Ryan. I’m pleased with Matt Ryan. I think he’s a great quarterback as well.
Who do you like in the NCAA tournament?
Gucci Mane: I have Indiana. I really like Indiana. I like Indiana a lot.
Do you think college athletes should be paid?
Gucci Mane: I definitely don’t think college athletes should be paid. They should not be paid. I think college basketball, football, whatever is just a platform for them to get the money and get paid. They should enjoy the right of going to a school and while they’re going to school they got to be humble enough to not get paid and pay that sacrifice and just compete until they can get the check.
You’ve said you’re known for controversy but you’re trying to gain respect as a songwriter and as an entertainer. A lot of athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds find it hard to remove themselves from their upbringings while staying true to where they came from. What advice could you give them from your own experience?
Gucci Mane: From my experience there’s always going to be people around from before that don’t got too much going on in their life. All I could say is as soon as you see there is somebody not positive trying to steal into your life, don’t give nobody a second chance.
If the Brick Squad was a sports team, what sports team would it be?
Gucci Mane: It would definitely be a hockey team.
Why’s that?
Gucci Mane: Love fighting. Love shooting.
