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Last year, Jim Calipari sparked some internal drama at the University of Kentucky when he described the learning institution as a “basketball school,” which didn’t sit well with football coach Mark Stoops. While the man who’s helmed the men’s hoops program since 2009 may have made a valid point, he hasn’t done himself many favors when it comes to cementing that case.
The Wildcats left plenty to be desired by posting a 7-6 record on the gridiron this season, but fans also haven’t had a ton to root for on the hardwood. Plenty of diehard supporters pushed for his dismissal after Saint Peter’s kicked off its Cinderella run with a win over Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, and those calls have only gotten louder since then.
Calipari headed into this year’s season boasting the worst recruiting class he’s assembled since taking over in Lexington (although it was still one of the top five in the country). The campaign hasn’t necessarily been an unmitigated disaster, but the unranked Wildcats are currently sporting a 10-6 record and the coach has caught plenty of heat for some questionable game management decisions (which reared their ugly head during a loss to Michigan State in November).
UK would owe Calipari almost $40 million if it fired him this year, and one disgruntled fan sarcastically launched a GoFundMe to try to put a dent in that number after the team lost to South Carolina on Tuesday night in a game where they were favored to win by close to 20 points.
Rupp Arena was also home to one spectator who “voiced” their displeasure with Calipari in the form of a sign that urged him to “Please Go To Texas” in the wake of Chris Beard’s recent ousting over a domestic violence issue. Unfortunately (or, considering the outcome, fortunately), they were unable to watch the entire game, as Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio says the fan in question was ultimately ejected from the venue over the sign.
The Calipari critic joked about his removal in a tweet where he noted “I said please.” While there’s no telling if they’d care enough to press the issue, this could also be a First Amendment violation; the University of Kentucky is a publicly-funded school, and while it doesn’t own Rupp Arena, the building is operated by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.