The NCAA is an easy target for critics, particularly after the FBI charged 10 individuals connected with recruiting corruption last September, but Charles Barkley says there's plenty of blame to be shared. Universities, agents, apparel companies and even players.

"They took the money, so don't act like they're innocent bystanders," Barkley said Tuesday at March Madness media day. "My thing is, I tend to look at the big picture. Is the NCAA perfect? Not even close. But I don't want these people out there telling young black kids education is not important. Education is really important. How many guys are actually gonna go pro? Less than 1 percent.

"It's interesting, I hear all these guys who make a lot of money, who are the chosen ones who are great at sports, talk about how full of s*** and corrupt the NCAA is because they make $10, $20, $30, $50, $100 million a year, but the truth of the matter is I'm more concerned about the guys who don't go pro. People who have to get a real job, who get it through education. I don't know anything about any of y'all in here, but I'm pretty sure some of y'all got some college debt. It would've been nice to go to a college and get a free education and not be debt."

Chuck Person, a former assistant at Barkley's alma mater of Auburn, was among those charged in the scandal with his case involving six federal counts, including bribery conspiracy. The most notable recent news featured current Player of the Year candidate DeAndre Ayton. ESPN reported FBI wiretaps caught Arizona coach Sean Miller discussing a $100,000 payment intended for Ayton if he signed with the Wildcats (and he did). Miller has denied the report.

"If they gave him $100,000, where I'm from, they call that a bargain," says Barkley, a fixture on NCAA tournament coverage for Turner and CBS since 2011.

Barkley said he is "not here to pound the drum for the NCAA," but called this crisis an "unsolvable problem."

"Coaches are always gonna cheat because they need to keep their jobs," Barkley says. "I don't think people understand. If your ass gets fired, you don't have a job. So coaches are always gonna cheat, and players are always gonna take money. Nobody turns down free money. Let's get that straight. But when you have people's livelihoods at stake because if you don't win, you are going to get fired, there's no perfect answer.

"I hear these fools on TV talking about 'We got to pay the players.' I say, 'Well, how are you gonna pay the players? Are we paying the basketball team? Are we paying the football team? Because then we got to pay the soccer team, the diving team, the swimming team, then we got to pay the girls' sports.' It's easy for a guy to get a TV and say, 'We got to pay the players.' Well, explain to me how you're gonna do it. Because you're gonna have to pay them all or we're gonna use up all the money in lawsuits."

Barkley hopes he can be among those stimulating a discussion toward a solution, possibly using his role at Turner Sports.

"What I've been trying to do, let's get some coaches, let's get some players, let's get some administrators together," Barkley says. "I've been trying to do it the last three or four years at the Final Four, but it has to be an honest discussion with the pros and cons because this thing is not easily fixable."

Barkley has admitted to taking "chump change" from agents during his three seasons at Auburn, claiming he paid all loans after joining the NBA. Current NBA players -- notably LeBron James, who recently called the NCAA "corrupt" -- have voiced increased criticism of the NCAA this season.

"Since he's never played in the NCAA, I don't know how he would know that," Barkley said of LeBron. "But also, one thing about LeBron, he has that great commercial about we don't need more LeBron James. We need more kids who go to school and get their education. I don't understand why he made that commercial if he didn't believe it. I actually believe that."

Barkley, Kenny Smith, Clark Kellogg, Ernie Johnson and Greg Gumbel will be among those working in CBS and Turner's studios in New York and Atlanta. In past years, the group has confronted NCAA issues such as the UNC academic-athletic scandal. Despite CBS and Turner being official broadcast partners of NCAA Basketball, it would be foolish to deem any topic off the table, especially with Barkley near a hot mic.

-- Follow Jeff Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband. Like Jeff Eisenband on Facebook.