The rich are getting a little richer, thanks to the rich.
Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has donated $500,000 to Oklahoma University. The school announced the gift on Saturday. The money will help fund Headington Hall, a new student housing facility that opens in 2013.
“My experience at Oklahoma made it possible for me to realize my dreams,” Bradford said. “The coaches, the academic environment and every aspect of being a student-athlete at OU made me a better person. I am honored to give back to a program that did so much for me and hope that in some way this contribution can make it possible for those who follow me to enjoy the same kind of experience I did as a Sooner.”
For his donation, the dining hall in the new building will be dubbed the “Sam Bradford Training Table.”
Headington Hall will cost a total of $75 million to build, which roughly equates to the full value of Bradford’s rookie deal. The last of the No. 1 overall picks to receive a tremendous windfall under the prior labor deal, the two men taken first overall since 2010 (Cam Newton and Andrew Luck) will get less then a third of that haul during the life of their first NFL contracts.
Still, regardless of how much money someone has, it’s never easy to part with any of it. Since the platform that Oklahoma provided Bradford with the opportunity to position himself for a huge-money contract, it makes sense that he’s willing to kick a little (or a lot) of it back to the university.