One thing that everyone in college sports has to know is that the players who are being paid NIL money are still young guys just trying to get through college and figure out what is next in life. These players are still human beings with real feelings and just because they are getting paid for the sport they play, doesn't mean anyone has the right to say certain things about them.
After Kansas State's 70-56 loss to Baylor in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament Wednesday night, senior forward Coleman Hawkins was sitting in the locker room surrounded by reporters, and his emotion could be felt in the entire room.
Hawkins burst into tears during his interview talking about how much the loss hurt and the fact that he didn't feel he played the way he should throughout the season.
"I feel like I let a lot of people down, I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me," Hawkins said. "It affected my play, it was happening all year."
K-State senior Coleman Hawkins spoke through tears for a minute and a half after the loss to Baylor
— Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) March 13, 2025
"These guys haven't experienced some of the things I experienced. I really wanted to come in an impact the program. I'm sorry for crying, but shit, this shit hurts" pic.twitter.com/YxJsR13TTR
What Hawkins was referring to was the pressure put on him to perform after he transferred to Kansas State last year and signed a $2 million NIL deal to play for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, with signing a deal like that, expectations rise and pressure comes down on a guy in his early 20s just playing the sport he loves.
Hawkins came to Kansas State after being a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection from Illinois. Originally, Hawkins planned to leave Illinois and head to the NBA Draft, but instead withdrew and chose to transfer to Kansas State to play for Jerome Tang.
Fighting through tears, clearly, money wasn't the only factor in coming to play at Kansas State as Hawkins talked about what he wanted to do with this program.
"I really wanted to come in and impact the program, and you know, some of the stuff, the outcome obviously wasn't what we wanted," Hawkins said. "If someone asked me if I regret coming here, I'd tell them I don't regret being with my team, the coaching staff, the people I met, and my heart just breaks for them."
Hawkins certainly let all of his emotions out in this interview after he scored just five points in the Wildcats' loss at Baylor. With the way things went for Kansas State this season, the NCAA Tournament certainly isn't an option, and even Tang said a consolation tournament seems unlikely. So basically, Kansas State's season is done, and with that, Hawkins's college playing career.