When LSU associate athletic director Robert Munson was asked on Tuesday about former Tiger Odell Beckham Jr. handing out bills to players after the national championship he said, "It was a joke. The bills were fake bills." But Beckham's actions might not actually be a laughing matter.
LSU released a statement Wednesday acknowledging that, "apparent cash may have also been given to LSU student-athletes."
A video posted online showed Beckham counting up bills and handing them to LSU receivers Justin Jefferson and Jontre Kirklin -- Jefferson's brothers, Jordan and Rickey, were Beckham's teammates in college.
Jefferson and Kirklin weren't the only players to receive cash from OBJ on Monday. TMZ reported that quarterback Joe Burrow also got some cash from the NFL star.
Burrow is out of eligibility and Jefferson declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, but Kirklin has not indicated that he plans to turn pro.
In other words, under NCAA regulations, what Beckham gave to Burrow was just a gift; what he gave to Kirklin might count as impermissible benefits.
LSU's statement said the school was, "in contact with the NCAA and the SEC immediately upon learning of this situation in which some of our student-athletes may have been placed in a compromising position."
Munson did later tell reporters on Tuesday that the program planned on interviewing the players to check whether the bills were actually fake, though this development may have already provided the answer.
Prior to Monday's game, Beckham gave every LSU player a pair of Beats headphones as a congratulations for making it to the national championship. The headphones, valued at $350, were allowed as NCAA regulations permit bowl gifts up to $550 in value "from the management of the event or from the participating member institution."