John Calipari: Coaches know what happens on campus

[Halldan1]

• 
  Myron MedcalfESPN Staff Writer

Coaches always know about scandals that occur on their campuses and they should be held accountable, Kentucky's John Calipari said Tuesday on the "Mike Lupica Show."

Calipari, who dealt with scandals during his tenures at UMass and Memphis, also said coaches should not be blamed for the incidents that unfold when athletes go home.

Calipari did not mention Louisville, Kentucky's chief rival and the focus on an NCAA investigation surrounding a sex-for-pay scandal that prompted the school to self-impose a postseason ban in 2015-16 and could result in severe sanctions in the near future.

"All I can tell you is this: If it happens on your campus and it happens with your assistants and those people, you probably have a good idea of what's going on," Calipari said. "It happens back in their hometown, it happens back with their family ... there's no way you can know. You just can't know. All I can say is most coaches have an idea if it happened on their campus. You might not be the first to know about it but you eventually hear about it."

Calipari, who has assembled the top-rated recruiting class in 2016 per ESPN.com, said public perception fluctuates based on the coach facing accusations of impropriety.

"It depends on who that coach is," he said. "There will be some coaches that everybody will say, 'There's no way he knew,' and there will be other coaches who [people] will say, 'He knew what happened with that family in eighth grade, he knew, you know he knew, he knew.'"

He added that it's difficult to trust the NCAA's investigations of scandals due to their "selective" nature.

"It's unfortunate," he said. "You wish there was more consistency about how they do things in the NCAA. There's a belief out there of selective enforcements and some people will call right to [Mark Emmert] and say, 'Get these people off me,' and it changes. It's selective. If it isn't, it appears to you and me and everybody else [that it is]."

Calipari said he's not worried about his comments creating controversy because he's no longer concerned about the way he's perceived.

"My life, even as a college student, has all been through the NCAA, and I'm telling you there's so much good that comes out of it," he said. "We have lost our way. They have lost their way. That's all I've been saying. And everybody's mad at me and I'm the worst guy in the world and I'm fine with that. I'm at that age where I really don't care what you think."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/16224880/coaches-know-happens-campus

 

[hallgrad80]

I'm not only not a Calipari fan but a vocal critic of him but with respect to what he's saying I give him credit for laying it out the way he did. I especially agree with his comment on the NCAA's " selective enforcement " but I would add there is also "selective non-enforcement " ala the UNC academic scandal.

 

[Halldan1]

It's easy from his throne atop Kentucky to all of a sudden become holier than thou.

No BB program in the country has what he has in terms of support, money, facilities, etc.

He's a phony who I give no credence to.

Still remember his racial slur to a media member when he was coaching the Nets in NJ. Don't buy for one minute that he doesn't care what people think of him.

 

[Seton75]

IMO, John is saying if shit happens in his campus, he is at fault. Sure, given the LU situation, it is self serving to an extent. But I thought it refreshing for a coach to accept some responsibility, and to say out loud that the NCAA is "selective" on who they drop the hammer on. He can be an ahole and still make statements that have some value.

 

[TheBluePirate]

This seems like a well-timed slagging attempt at Pitino and Louisville, meaning, I think all he really wants is to try to "help" the NCAA drop another big bomb onto Louisville. Other than that, ho hum, this is not a trustworthy "mea culpa" at all. I'm with Dan, this is phony, and for me, just about as transparent a swipe as possible at Pitino and company as possible.

LOL!

 

[Vegas pj]

Pitino or Calamari? Tough choice. Both scum of the earth. (Note to Spell Checker - I always spell what's his name's name that way. Sorry)

 

[TheBluePirate]

Pitino or Calamari? Tough choice. Both scum of the earth. (Note to Spell Checker - I always spell what's his name's name that way. Sorry)

Heh.

 

[hallgrad80]

Was his statement a shot at Pitino , I'm sure it was and was his statement an attempt to "polish"his reputation of course it was but what he said about coaches knowing what goes on on campus and about the selective practices of the NCAA was right on target .

 

[TheBluePirate]

Was his statement a shot at Pitino , I'm sure it was and was his statement an attempt to "polish"his reputation of course it was but what he said about coaches knowing what goes on on campus and about the selective practices of the NCAA was right on target .

No doubt.

The amazing upshot of this admission (on behalf of all NCAA D1 coaches) is that many institutions, such as Northern South Dakota State at Hoople, just to pull one of hundreds out of the air, will be savagely penalized by the NCAA police on such charges as "knowingly providing a Tootsie Pop to a recruit, with loss of one scholarship for two years".

Ahh, how they will all have to bask in the morally superior sunshine of University of Kentucky then!

 

[hallgrad80]

No doubt.

The amazing upshot of this admission (on behalf of all NCAA D1 coaches) is that many institutions, such as Northern South Dakota State at Hoople, just to pull one of hundreds out of the air, will be savagely penalized by the NCAA police on such charges as "knowingly providing a Tootsie Pop to a recruit, with loss of one scholarship for two years".

Ahh, how they will all have to bask in the morally superior sunshine of University of Kentucky then!

BP
The unfairness of who the NCAA targets for sanctions and the severity of the sanctions is a decades old problem and we all know that from the Glenn Mosley incident at SH and many others where the school doesn't have the clout to just get a slap on the wrist.

 

[dehere23]

Does that mean Cal is going to admit he knew Marcus Camby was driving around campus in $75,000 cars with a gym bag full of cash in the trunk, and yet did nothing about it? Because that wasn't his tune at UMass or thereafter.

I don't disagree with Cal about coaches, most of the time, knowing what is happening on campus and with their program. I believe that Slick Rick had a good idea what was going on at Louisville. But, as Dan said, Cal is a hypocrite on this.

BP
The unfairness of who the NCAA targets for sanctions and the severity of the sanctions is a decades old problem and we all know that from the Glenn Mosley incident at SH and many others where the school doesn't have the clout to just get a slap on the wrist.

 

[TheBluePirate]

BP
The unfairness of who the NCAA targets for sanctions and the severity of the sanctions is a decades old problem and we all know that from the Glenn Mosley incident at SH and many others where the school doesn't have the clout to just get a slap on the wrist.

Yep. The twist this time is that it is Calipari who is crowing at the top of the heap.

Pardon me while I reach into the seat back for the paper bag. and for good measure!

 

[HallX2]

It's easy from his throne atop Kentucky to all of a sudden become holier than thou.

No BB program in the country has what he has in terms of support, money, facilities, etc.

He's a phony who I give no credence to.

Still remember his racial slur to a media member when he was coaching the Nets in NJ. Don't buy for one minute that he doesn't care what people think of him.

He knows nothing of SAT exam takers though