Cal Tweet

[yoshukai]

I have blasted the players and Cal as much as anyone. But this tweet is in direct response to a horseshit article on Yahoo Sports. Almost everyone here has taken out of context.

I think most UK fans agree with that horseshit article though .

 

[yoshukai]

I'm calling 12 pages .. lol

Depends on the moderator, lol .

 

[cathouse_rivals216755]

God knows I'm hard on Cal but I dont see anything wrong with what Cal said IF ... IF you support kneelers . What did Yahoo want ?? Him to denounce Trump and all his followers as Nazi's ?? YES thats exactly what Yahoo wanted and thats why they didnt like his answers , which , as I stated , you perfectly in line with people who support kneeling . Screw Yahoo. They are pathetic .

I had not read this article until now, but thanks for posting. This supports my post of failed leadership by Cal. When both sides of an issue have problems with how you handled the issue, you probably either handled it perfectly or mishandled it completely.

I think it is the latter. Cal mishandled this mess from the get go and it is only going to get worse for him and UK. There is no place he can run and he sure can't hide.

 

[yoshukai]

So they said they doing something as divisive as kneeling for the national anthem in order to bring people together . Thats always a good idea .

 

[yoshukai]

I had not read this article until now, but thanks for posting. This supports my post of failed leadership by Cal. When both sides of an issue have problems with how you handled the issue, you probably either handled it perfectly or mishandled it completely.

I think it is the latter. Cal mishandled this mess from the get go and it is only going to get worse for him and UK. There is no place he can run and he sure can't hide.

Cause at Kentucky “I cant hide you “ .

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

I mean what is he suppose to say ?. “I don’t stand by my players” ? he will say that even if he didn’t believe it. For “lifetime contract” millions of dollars. I would too, this is he’s livelihood

At this point maybe should shut up and do whatever he can to make his team better because they’re terrible right now.

 

[SmedMoley]

Whether they are right or wrong, the players feel a certain way, and they are the ones who play the game. It's a tricky subject. You can't alienate the vast majority of highschool basketball players and still expect them to come play here.

I'm just trying to envision the type of team we'd field, if our coach and university actually listened to some of these fans, and came down on players for this, not standing by them.. by 2024 it would be a team full of Berts and Tanners and we'd wind up being ranked around 325th.

You can't have it both ways. You can't demand the players to have the same viewpoint as you and turn around and expect there to be enough talent to be a top10 team. That will never happen. Maybe 70 years ago. Not now. If you think anything more than 5% of the top500 players gives a **** about your politics, as a fan in the stands, and is going to do what you want.. you're mistaken.. and you might as well just give up on sports as a whole. We're not going back to the 50's.

Personally, I don't need to have the same view on politics as the players. I don't even want to know their views. Like they don't want to know mine. I think that's probably the point for most of us. Keep your politics to yourself, if you're a public figure. I know that's not a popular thing for me to say but I think it's the best policy.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

What you just described is not a lack of self awareness.

A lack of self awareness would be when he said he doesn't play favorites with five stars.

With respect to fans.

 

[Patriot202]

I could get behind supporting them if they didn’t burn down cities. The nation was watching with Floyd and there would have been movement-but when you loot, steal, rob, and kill under the premise of equality, I can’t support it.

It’s crazy that over 700 homicides in Chicago alone in gang violence majority blacks they don’t give a damn about. Your death is not recognized unless you are shot by a cop.

 

[March 22]

Good riddance! Maybe when Covid is under control regular folks can get some Courtside/ behind the bench seats.

Are these "regular people" going to pay the 50K blue and white fund fee for those courtside seats that goes toward paying the bloated salary of our coach? Don't think so! That's why UK, or any company or organization that depends on financial support or revenue, should avoid dividing their customers/supporters and controversial/political positions by its representatives in general. It is a certain pathway to financial ruin.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Cal is just reaping what he has sown. If you sow to the wind, you will reap a whirlwind, and Cal is in the midst of a storm right now that he can't talk his way out of and his ego will not allow him to humble himself and apologize to the 80% of the UK fanbase that he has thumbed his nose at, and made fun of on more than one occasion.

What you're seeing from Cal is a total failure in leadership. Cal has mishandled KB and this BLM issue from the get go. Now, he is going all in by saying I support my players above all else.

When the players came to Cal right before the UF game (I'll admit, in business we would have called a chicken **** move like that an ambush, and these players ambushed Cal and did not give him an opportunity to bounce the issue off of Mitch or other mentors he may have wanted to speak to before giving them an answer.)

These players talk about wanting to have a conversation and about wanting respect for their actions, but that stunt they pulled at UF and the way they sprung it on Cal at the last minute, shows that they not only do not have any respect for Cal (reaping from his own players first culture), and, they do not respect their opponent or their own fanbase.

It seems obvious to me from Cal's comments concerning how much he loves and appreciates the fans and know they love the players, that Cal and Mitch are in full crisis recovery mode since that fiasco in Florida, and then to come out and play like you don't even care about winning against Alabama, Cal's lack of leadership has come full circle for this team.

Cal has nowhere else to go with this issue. Anything he says or does from here on out will only make the issue worse for him, Mitch, and UK. That is not a good recipe for long term success in his current job.

Cal could have, and should have simply told the players that the UF game in their building was not the time nor the place to stage a protest by kneeling during the National Anthem. He could have told them that we will meet and discuss our options when we get back to Lexington.

If the players refused to take the court under those circumstances, then so be it, they really are not looking for a solution, they are looking to create a problem, for Cal, for the University, and for UF.

Cal is still the coach. He is still supposed to be the CEO of this program. His attempt at absconding his responsibilities by conferring his power over to the players does not relieve his accountability to facilitate and maintain the UK basketball program at a high level.

Choosing to start a war of words over an incident that could have been avoided with good leadership by Cal and the players, with probably 80% of your fan base is not going to end well for Cal or Mitch........or UK.

I agree with so much in this post. I do think Cal could have managed that moment better, but he was in a situation with not much time to react. Unfortunately it got the better of him. I have argued that he did what he had to do, supper his players. But if I’m being totally honest, I do think he should have stepped back and told the team to wait - wait until they were at home, wait until they could have a conversation - wait until he could truly understand the message. I have done as much soooo many times in my career where I was in a leadership role; sometimes you have to act and think quickly. Sometimes you make the wrong decision. But you have to make a decision.

 

[SmedMoley]

I think most UK fans agree with that horseshit article though .

I mean, we all know why the article was written. That doesn't make it wrong.

 

[KYCAT78]

John Calipari is the Donald Trump of college basketball.

And JoeBiden is the Al Capone of private life.

 

[SmedMoley]

Are these "regular people" going to pay the 50K blue and white fund fee for those courtside seats that goes toward paying the bloated salary of our coach? Don't think so! That's why UK, or any company or organization that depends on financial support or revenue, should avoid dividing their customers/supporters and controversial/political positions by its representatives in general. It is a certain pathway to financial ruin.

That guy is not great at reasoning.

 

[Patriot202]

The issue is the “players” aren’t paying his salary. This is a conservative state that Trump won in a landslide.
Big time big money boosters have now flipped on Cal!

Actually without good players he wouldn’t have a salary.

 

[Big10Cat]

So they said they doing something as divisive as kneeling for the national anthem in order to bring people together . Thats always a good idea .

Along the same lines of the early COVID lockdown days, “We have to come together by staying apart”. And that has essentially resulted in us “coming apart”....at the seams.

If you want to spoil or ruin anything, inject politics.

 

[irishcat1965]

I think most UK fans agree with that horseshit article though .

It’s obvious you didn’t even read the article if you say that.

 

[Blue Wildcat]

Along the same lines of the early COVID lockdown days, “We have to come together by staying apart”. And that has essentially resulted in us “coming apart”....at the seams.

If you want to spoil or ruin anything, inject politics.

Last time we all had a common enemy was after 911. Now the world is just laughing at us tearing ourselves apart.

 

[Big10Cat]

Last time we all had a common enemy was after 911. Now the world is just laughing at us tearing ourselves apart.

And even that unity did not hold up for long. Now we have an elected Representative from Minnesota that describes 9-11 as “some people did some things”. We are watching the demise of our country from self-inflicted wounds.

 

[ok-cats-computer]

What was he reasonably supposed to do? Tell his players they can’t kneel and express the frustration they feel with how they are treated by the society in the country in which they live? Yes, he could have done that he is the coach and has the final authority in the situation. But if he does that then our recruiting will fall off a cliff and recruiting African Americans to come live in an environment where they are told to “just shut up and dribble” becomes immensely more difficult. Almost every business tries to cater to it’s clientele so I can understand a coach catering to his players and his future players. Politics is sooooo toxic in this country right now and I wish that a situation hadn’t arisen that injected politics into sports. But it did happen and he was approached by his players and put between a rock and a hard place and he decided to back his players and his future players.

Look at the pics of some of the Old Miss team taking a knee during the national anthem. Some of the coaches took a knee and some of the coaches stood with their hands over their hearts. Cal had a choice. I understand that a person with an average salary might be coerced into making a political statement they didn’t agree with in order to keep the peace at work. However, Cal is a multimillionaire. He has more economic security than most of us could ever hope to achieve. He didn’t have to take a knee. He wanted to do it.

 

[HoldMyBeer]

Are these "regular people" going to pay the 50K blue and white fund fee for those courtside seats that goes toward paying the bloated salary of our coach? Don't think so! That's why UK, or any company or organization that depends on financial support or revenue, should avoid dividing their customers/supporters and controversial/political positions by its representatives in general. It is a certain pathway to financial ruin.

If all the "big donars" that hate kneeling all go away and find other teams there won't be a 50k fee. The price will be adjusted. Simple. All these other schools, many of which claim they take yearly losses in the sport have their Courtside seats filled regardless! Big donations or not UK basketball isn't going away. GOOD RIDDANCE!

 

[DocPT]

He does stand with his players... where exactly are you seeing his lack of self awareness?

Is it really stand? Or is it “KNEEL”?

 

[Pewee Cat]

Too many followers that don't have a clue what they are following. Well lebron says......

 

[gwjenning]

Actually without good players he wouldn’t have a salary.

This isn’t true!
He’s been collecting the same salary without good basketball since 2015 because his salary has no on court incentives built in.
He could have Tubby type talent and collect his HUGE salary because Barnhart is a sucker!
Cals contract has no incentives for certain talent or on court performance!

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Personally, I don't need to have the same view on politics as the players. I don't even want to know their views. Like they don't want to know mine. I think that's probably the point for most of us. Keep your politics to yourself, if you're a public figure. I know that's not a popular thing for me to say but I think it's the best policy.

I'm in agreement , but we both get called out for being " shut up and dribble" type backers. Well it isnt that really , I support any person 1st amendment rights , but NOT during the national anthem !! Write numbers/messages / names on your shoes , draw signs , give interviews , Scream , Mention it every time a reporter interviews you , do a group thing at the end of the game , I really dont care . But please dont disrespect our nations symbol . Ever .

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Too many followers that don't have a clue what they are following. Well lebron says......

Biggest tool in the box .

 

[Trinity45]

Hes just responding to the Yahoo Article.

He would do well to take his own advice and not listen to the noise. Instead he took the bait. It was a hit piece; he would have been better served ignoring it and not giving it the attention to keep it alive. His players know he has their back.

Yep he took it hook line and sinker.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

I agree. He shouldn't have even responded.

 

[BigBlueFan19]

Stand for and by your players at another university then! As most know, I’ve been a Cal supporter even when it seemed I was the only one.

But I do not support kneeling. It was started by an idiot and is carried on by idiots.

I’ve kept my mouth shut long enough. Athletes have got out of hand with thinking they are somebody special and that anyone with sense would listen to what they say. I enjoy sports but not the extra nonsense. Entitled ******!

 

[KentuckyCat420]

F Cal.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Man, for a guy that says he doesn't read or know what's being said about him, he sure has some rabbit ears lately.

 

[bookerfan66]

I agree. He shouldn't have even responded.

People are going to be angry no matter what.

 

[Untouchables22]

Look at the pics of some of the Old Miss team taking a knee during the national anthem. Some of the coaches took a knee and some of the coaches stood with their hands over their hearts. Cal had a choice. I understand that a person with an average salary might be coerced into making a political statement they didn’t agree with in order to keep the peace at work. However, Cal is a multimillionaire. He has more economic security than most of us could ever hope to achieve. He didn’t have to take a knee. He wanted to do it.

The exact same amount of people would be upset if he had stood and the players had kneeled. The fan base wanted nobody to kneel. Him choosing to stand while the team kneeled would have resulted in the same situation that has now developed.

 

[struggler]

1. The "Woke" are never satisfied - NEVER... so now he is in a "Woke War" on social media... never ends well. He was trying to be woke - but wasn't woke enough. Always someone demanding you be more woke.

2. If you think it's bad now, and that he is cracking now - if we take an L from the flying "denim vests" this weekend... well - pop some corn and get ready for the show.

3. Players First is fine to a point - I get it... to knowingly alienate your already unhappy vocal fanbase (and disrespect another University on their floor) - then arrogantly dig in your heels as if you know more than they do is piss poor leadership, piss poor awareness, gratitude and respect for the fanbase and is now creating a wound not easily healed.

He done pissed in the clean water hole on this one...

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Here’s the deal....this is a delicate balance for all guys in Calipari’s position. These young guys don’t know anything about anything. That’s just the damn truth and yes Calipari knows that too. So they are protesting what exactly? Clearly with the answer from Brooks they don’t even really know. The truth is it’s become the “cool” thing to do. It’s become the cultural flavor. It’s become an issue that the cancel culture jumps on when given the chance if someone disagrees.

So the reality for guys like Calipari is they have to balance it all with players, fans and the media. Frankly, that’s what you are seeing here from Calipari. Some of you simply need to be realistic when it comes to issues like this one. He’s trying to balance it all just as you would if you were in the same position, otherwise you’d be looking for a new career.

Not gonna feel sorry for a guy making 8-10 mil a year. He likes to run his mouth. Maybe he should learn to shut up once in a while.

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

1. The "Woke" are never satisfied - NEVER... so now he is in a "Woke War" on social media... never ends well. He was trying to be woke - but wasn't woke enough. Always someone demanding you be more woke.

2. If you think it's bad now, and that he is cracking now - if we take an L from the flying "denim vests" this weekend... well - pop some corn and get ready for the show.

3. Players First is fine to a point - I get it... to knowingly alienate your already unhappy vocal fanbase - then arrogantly dig in your heels as if you know more than they do is piss poor leadership, piss poor gratitude and respect for the fanbase and is now creating a wound not easily healed.

It isnt going to heal.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

F Cal.

Then go root for another team dude.

 

[jessieshorts8]

I hope politicians on both sides are proud of having destroyed this country and filled people with hate.Good job.

 

[struggler]

It isnt going to heal.

Not on this current trajectory it's not.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

I have blasted the players and Cal as much as anyone. But this tweet is in direct response to a horseshit article on Yahoo Sports. Almost everyone here has taken out of context.

The article was written by a dook alum with their pronouns on their twitter thingy bob.