John Calipari accused of cheating – Photo by John McKinney
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Reprint from WYMT) – It is no secret that Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari is king of the college basketball world.
Since arriving in Lexington in 2009 Calipari has brought in a top two recruiting class each season. He has led the Wildcats to four Final Fours, including a national championship in 2012.
Since 2009, 20 UK players have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, 11 of whom were drafted in the top 10.
Many people have a strong opinion of Calipari, but Clay Travis of FOX Sports 1 was about as blunt as one can be when talking about the Hall of Fame coach. While appearing on an Arkansas radio show Friday morning Travis accused Calipari of paying players.
“Let’s be honest, John Calipari is paying players and has been for years.,” says Travis. “I mean, it would be the biggest upset in the history of mankind for him not to be doing that. I mean, I think it’s laughable to presume that he’s not paying players. I think lots of people pay players but I think Kentucky basketball is one of the best in college athletics for sure.”
While Calipari is the only coach in NCAA history to have two Final Fours vacated (UMass in 1996 and Memphis in 2008), he has never been directly linked to any violations — Marcus Camby (UMass) received more than $40,000 in cash and gifts from an agent Derrick Rose (Memphis) had his SAT score voided by the Educational Testing Service, deeming him ineligible for the 2007-08 season.
Travis would later say, “I think John Calipari cheats his a** off.”
There have been no reports indicating that John Calipari has ever paid his players UMass, Memphis, or Kentucky.
You can listen to the full interview clip by clicking the link to the right.