UCLA defends giving $54K football scholarship to son of Sean "Diddy" Combs

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Justin Combs, the 18-year-old son of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, will attend UCLA on a $54,000 football scholarship.

It is one of 285 athletic scholarships the university hands out every year.

But it comes at a time when student fees are rising and a year after the university had to use more than $2 million in student fees to cover an athletic department funding gap.

UCLA defended the athletic scholarship.

"Unlike need-based scholarships, athletic scholarships are awarded to students strictly on the basis of their athletic and academic ability -- not their financial need," UCLA said in a statement. "Athletic scholarships, such as those awarded to football or basketball players, do not rely on state funds. Instead, these scholarships are entirely funded through UCLA Athletics ticket sales, corporate partnerships, media contracts and private donations from supporters."

The Los Angeles Times says the senior Combs is worth an estimated $475 million and gave his son a $360,000 Maybach car for his 16th birthday.

And Justin Combs has defended the scholarship on Twitter:

"Regardless of what you do in life every1 is gonna have their own opinion," he tweeted. "Stay focused, keep that tunnel vision & never 4get why u started."