John Calipari changed the entire landscape of college basketball by leaving Kentucky after 15 years for the same job at Arkansas. It was a seismic shift in sports that will continue to have a ripple effect long after the Basketball Hall of Fame head coach retires.
Chicken allegedly (read: definitely) played a massive role in the move.
Calipari and John Tyson — the billionaire heir to the Tyson Foods throne — have been friends for quite some time. The latter reportedly stepped up with a big financial promise that lured the former to Fayetteville. He supposedly ponied up big money to ensure that the Razorbacks have enough NIL resources to be competitive on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.
Frozen chicken is essentially driving the success of Calipari’s basketball team.
That may not be true. (Even though it most certainly is!)
Tyson recently spoke with Bo Mattingly about what is being labeled as a “misconception.” He claimed during the interview that he never wrote a big check for NIL. (Wink wink…)
"I didn't write a big check for NIL."
— Sawyer Radler (@SawyerRadler) May 6, 2024
John Tyson clears up a misconception with @SportandStoryBo that seems to be floating around. Full interview on @HogsPlus — it's a must-watch. pic.twitter.com/F7li8r3h7u
Tyson may not have lied about the check. It could have been a wire transfer, online donation or cash. It could have been a promise for a check down the road that he has yet to sign.
We don’t know!
However, Tyson’s face during his interview with HOGS+ discredits the words that came out of his mouth. His attempt to sell the idea that he never wrote the check that ultimately got him a standing ovation looked and felt like a not-so subtle attempt to convince Arkansas fans to keep pouring money into the collective— even though he is worth $2.9 billion!
On the flip side of that discussion, if Tyson really did not write the check like he (jokingly?) said, then the Razorbacks are not nearly as NIL wealthy as we thought. That will spell trouble for Calipari.
Either the Chicken Man wrote the check and Calipari has a lot of money to spend on talent, or… not.