Charles Barkley slammed the NCAA during the NCAA's March Madness coverage

(Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Late Sunday night when you were probably already sleeping, Charles Barkley went on a rant about the NCAA during the NCAA’s own March Madness postgame coverage of Sunday’s tournament action. Seated across from an uncomfortable Andy Katz, an NCAA.com employee, Barkley interrupted Kenny Smith’s comments on the NCAA rulebook to give his honest thoughts about college basketball’s governing body.

“Please stop,” interjected Barkley. “Stop that rule stuff.”

“Man, let me tell you something. The NCAA, they’re like the Barney Fife of the world. They do an awful job of administrating. We got guys on tape, paying players, three years ago; they ain’t saying nothing about.”

Smith, jokingly (I think), tried to say COVID played a role in the NCAA’s delayed response to the FBI’s findings.

“It has nothing to do with COVID,” Barkley continued. “The NCAA, they are so far behind the times, they’re so reactive. It’s time to get their crap together. They say they want to stop cheating, they want to make everything equal with their women because that was a travesty and a disgrace. It’s time for us, because we’re in the business–we’re in bed with the NCAA. It’s time for us–you know, we do a lot of the social stuff in the NBA–it’s time for us guys and coaches to say, y’all gotta do a better job.”

Barkley added new Indiana coach Mike Woodson, a first-time coach in the NCAA, doesn’t need the NCAA rulebook. “He needs better players,” said Barkley.

Hear it all for yourself:

This is why Charles Barkley is one of the best & highest paid broadcasters in network TV sports. Only one at this high a level willing to say this. Might just be his ticket out of doing these college shows. pic.twitter.com/jiIfmSHRf2

— John Gaskins (@johngaskins981) March 29, 2021

Unafraid to speak his mind as a basketball broadcaster, Barkley’s comments aren’t wrong, no matter how bad Andy Katz probably wanted to get up and walk away from the set. And only Barkley can get away with saying all that while on an NCAA show.