John Calipari Condemned for Winning Within Rules
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By DERON SNYDER
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I declare that John Calipari and Kentucky have been falsely accused and unfairly maligned. Mr. Calipari and the Wildcats have conducted themselves with honor and followed the rules in their three seasons together. Charges that they’re ruining college basketball and making a mockery of education are without merit and should be dropped immediately.
Please allow me to explain.
First of all, the events that transpired under Mr. Calipari’s watch at Massachusetts and Memphis are irrelevant and inadmissible. Yes, UMass star Marcus Camby accepted about $28,000 from sports agents, which forced the school to vacate its 1996 Final Four season. And yes, the NCAA ruled that Memphis star Derrick Rose committed academic fraud, which forced the school to vacate its 2008 Final Four season.
But let the record show that the NCAA exonerated Mr. Calipari of wrongdoing in both instances. And neither school faced a postseason ban or loss of scholarships. Implying that the coach is tainted, nonetheless, is the worst form of guilt by association.
While there is no defense against such whisper campaigns, they have no bearing on the subject at hand, the Kentucky Wildcats.
