John Calipari felt like he needed to add a bit of context to previous comments he made on Wednesday. After making remarks about player compensation and the Protect College Sports Act that went viral, the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball coach took to social media on Friday to explain his position.
Calipari wanted to clear the air and make sure everyone knew he was not against players getting paid. This is a complete reversal of what he said less than 48 hours prior.
“I did a press conference two days ago. Let me clarify what I said,” Calipari wrote. “I’ve always been about the players and what benefits them my entire career.”
He went on to write, “I am GREAT with my guys making money and want them to make even more money. And they deserve all the advantages that come along with playing college sports.”
Calipari provided his thoughts on the current state of college athletics and his support for the PCSA. Despite his best efforts to not say we should turn the clock back, he alluded to players getting paid and needing to be secondary.
“Right now, we need something to give us some semblance of order and some guardrails,” Calipari stated on Wednesday. “I’m going to say this. I probably shouldn’t. Nine of my players make more than my assistants. And the other three make more than all my staff. And we are not one of the highest payers. We’re just not.”
Those comments became part of a bigger conversation as the U.S. Senate passed PCSA. The topic of player compensation, coaching salaries and the future structure of college sports are all hanging in the balance. Calipari is one of a thousand voices, but he’s always been one of the loudest. After making $125 million in his career, I guess he forgot what capitalism looks like.
That appears to be the point Calipari wants to ditch. We’ll see if PCSA becomes law or not. For now, player should fight for every protection possible. Otherwise, coaches like Calipari will try to dismantle anything they’ve built brick by brick.
