Fred Taylor took bribe from Georgia but still turned them down

Former NFL running back Fred Taylor is one of many players who accepted illegal payments from a college football program, but his situation was a bit unique in that he literally took the money and ran.

Taylor played college ball at Florida. He helped the Gators win a national championship in 1996. He was heavily recruited by SEC rival Georgia before he accepted an offer to play for Steve Spurrier. During an appearance on “Bussin’ With the Boys” this week, Taylor was asked about a rumor that he took $50,000 from Georgia and then signed with Florida anyway. He confirmed it.

This is awesome.

The Univ. Of Georgia gave Fred Taylor about $50,000 to come to their school and my man kept the $50k and went to Florida pic.twitter.com/5CboIUnQek

— Will Compton (@_willcompton) March 30, 2022

“It wasn’t a duffle bag. It was a gang of cash, man,” Taylor said. “It was closer to ($50,000). Those were the days, man.”

Taylor didn’t go into specifics, but he said he collected a few thousand dollars at a time from someone associated with the Georgia program every time he was in West Palm Beach visiting his mother. He obviously kept the money and then enrolled at Florida.

Some other former NFL stars have told troubling stories about getting paid in college. Taylor’s story will just make him more of a legend in Gainesville.

Photo: Oct 27, 2018; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars former running back Fred Taylor at NFL UK Live at The Drum at Wembley. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports