UCLA Coach Mick Cronin Made Hilarious Gesture to Kelvin Sampson After Viral NIL Quote
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Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson has never been afraid to speak plainly, and his recent comments on the Cougars NIL future resulted in one of the funnier coaching exchanges of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Two weeks after describing Houston's athletic department as "very poor" when it comes to NIL, the longtime head coach found himself in the middle of a lighthearted, and frankly a hilarious, exchange with a college basketball coach in the Big Ten.
Kelvin Sampson reveals that after his comments about Houston's athletic department last week, Mick Cronin Venmo'd him $1:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 16, 2026
"He said yo man, I heard your presser. I'd like to help, so here's one dollar" 😂😂
🎥: https://t.co/Zdh8RLR44i pic.twitter.com/5JxNIEWG5w
Even after Sampson clarified that he misspoke on the state of NIL at Houston, The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman got in on the fun by sliding a $100 bill to Sampson during their interview earlier this week. This prompted Sampson to tell a story of how somebody had already beaten him to the joke.
Cronin's Dollar Gets the Last Laugh
As funny as Goodman's $100 bill was, the Houston head coach revealed that Goodman was a little late to the punchline. He then went into a story about how UCLA head coach Mike Cronin had already gotten the last laugh with an earlier Venmo.
“You know, Mick Cronin had the best line,” Sampson told The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman. “So, he Venmos me a dollar — he actually sent it to (son and Houston assistant) Kellen to give to me — and he said, ‘Yo man, I heard your schtick at your postgame press conference. You’ve got to learn not to say certain things. But I did get that you don’t have very much, so here’s a dollar.’”
It was a perfect example of the connection that still exists among college basketball coaches, even in a chaotic ear that's dominated by NIL, roster turnover, and constant pressure to perform at a high level. Cronin's joke was also a reminder of how quickly a single comment can move through the sport, especially when it concerns NIL.
Since his original comments on the matter, Sampson has walked back his statements about the athletic department's funding. He also emphasized that the Cougars' players and staff are being compensated fairly. What he did stress though, was the fact that the department is still adjusting to the financial realities of the Big 12.
In the end, the joke was small, but the interaction said plenty about where the sport is right now. Sampson's comment may have resulted in a good joke, but it also revealed the constant work that programs, and even coaches, face in the NIL era. Through all the confusion, it's good to see that head basketball coaches around the country can still joke with one another.
