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John Calipari has meticulously honed his reputation as a player coach.
A recruiting Titan, he rebuilt the blue-blooded Kentucky basketball program in his own image, a haven for five-star talent to compete for championships and – most importantly – to develop as men and women. NBA hopes.
It’s the message that Calipari sells every chance it gets – and every time there’s a camera around, which is regular.
He deviated from the message hugely on Wednesday when he spoke of a recent gamer protest against last week’s violence on Capitol Hill.
Kentucky players protest
In the aftermath of last week’s deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump, the Calipari players have made a statement. They knelt during the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s game against SEC rival Florida.
“It’s a lot of things that happen every day that we have knelt for,” said forward Keion Brooks. “The Capitol – that thing – had a role to play in it, but there are other things that we don’t see every day that are unacceptable, that we want to take a stand against.
Calipari reluctantly joined them.
“I held my heart, but knelt with them because I support guys,” Calipari explained.
Calipari on the protest: ‘Probably not the right time to do it’
Amid mounting political pressure on Wednesday, the Kentucky coach distanced himself from the players’ decision to kneel.
“I only found out 90 minutes before the game,” Calipari told reporters at a press conference. “We’ve had a discussion since then about – you don’t need to talk, you need to act,” Calipari said. “How do you bring people together? How do you make a difference? Not just how do you make a statement? …
“They are 18 years old. They learn. These children are good children. They have good hearts. This political moment is probably not the right time to do it.
He went on to reiterate that his players thought it was the right time to protest and repeatedly said the protest was not about the military. Which, of course, was not. Even the NFL has long abandoned this facade designed to distract from the real issues of today.
So when is the ‘right time to do it?
Calipari’s position raises many questions. None as obvious as: if not now, what exactly is a good time?
Change in this country is often brought about by people expressing their right to free speech, the First Amendment. Athletes of all sports changed the conversation around social justice and the right to vote in 2020, a year that saw a national running count and the most consequent election of our lives.
Standing – or kneeling – in the face of white supremacy and right-wing extremism exposed in Washington last Wednesday takes courage. Especially in a state as politically red as Kentucky.
The predominantly black group of teenage Kentucky players put that courage in the spotlight on Saturday. Calipari – a 61-year-old white male – curled up in the face of the political backlash.
The protest met with a backlash
The Kentucky basketball protest sparked resentment in parts of the state.
A small town sheriff named John Root, who described Kentucky as “the state of Hillbilly,” took to social media to set Kentucky equipment on fire and ask the university “to have a real man to lead the cats and a real team”.
Members of the Knox County Tax Court in southern Kentucky unanimously signed a resolution calling on Kentucky to defeat the UK.
“The University of Kentucky receives millions upon millions of dollars of hard-working Kentucky taxpayer dollars each year,” Executive Judge Mike Mitchell told The Times-Tribune. “I think they need to be held accountable for their actions if they can’t handle this better.”
British Brass Supported Players
The British administration, including school president Eli Capilouto and sporting director Mitch Barnhart, saw this reaction and wrote an official statement supporting their players and their right to protest.
Calipari capitulated instead.
He responded by questioning the timing of his athletes’ actions. He asked why the young men who generate his nearly $ 9 million annual salary are not “doing” or “bringing people together”. As if bringing people together in the face of racism and violence is the job of adolescents rather than people with real power.
Like no other major college basketball coach, Calipari has stood up for himself as a player coach who will give young men their best chance for success in basketball and beyond. He did so to the great advantage of almost everyone involved, producing 31 first-round picks, a domestic title and an $ 86million deal with the UK.
On Wednesday, he let down his players. He also failed.
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