John Calipari rips state of college sports, calls on commissioners to step in and ‘be the a**holes’

Amid eligibility lawsuits and judge’s rulings that paved the way for former professional athletes to be eligible for college sports, Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari again spoke in favor of the Protect College Sports Act. He did so while sharing strong thoughts on the current landscape.

Calipari admitted he disagrees with parts of the bipartisan bill, which is expected to receive a formal vote next month once the Senate returns from recess. Still, he has been vocal in his support for the legislation and was part of a coalition that signed a letter to Congress in June urging its passage.

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As for why he’s such a staunch supporter, Calipari argued the Protect College Sports Act will help bring “guardrails” college athletics needs. In the meantime, he said the space isn’t settling down, which is why he called on the commissioners to help spur action. He also praised the SEC for its efforts and rules related to professional athletes returning to college sports.

“I like what the SEC is doing,” Calipari told Andy Katz on The Sideline earlier this week. “If a player doesn’t like what the SEC is doing, what? Go to another league. … Just do it. Make it hard. Do it right.

“And everybody says, ‘Cal, you’re spending all this time.’ Well, I got a son that’s in this profession. Do you honestly think … I want to leave this profession the way it is right now? I want to leave the profession and say, ‘This could have got ugly. But we all came together. Nothing was perfect. Everything is going to continue to move. But we needed guardrails now. The leagues did the right thing.’ We need these commissioners to step in here and – I’ll use the term – be the a**holes. Be that. And then, have rules that there are no waivers, guys. There’s not a waiver.”

Over the last few years, John Calipari has been a vocal opponent of multiple-time transfers and waivers for extra seasons. Of course, now that the NCAA approved an age based, five-year eligibility model, the days of redshirts are seemingly coming to an end. Waivers can be handed out in certain situations, though.

That age-based model has been at the center of the latest eligibility lawsuits, though. It is not retroactive for the Class of 2022. As a result, athletes from the class have taken to court seeking a fifth year of eligibility. One now includes the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey after they were added to a TRO on Friday, seeking to prevent the league from enforcing its new rules.

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But when asked about the idea of collective bargaining coming to college athletics to settle things, Calipari had a warning. He said that would not be a quick process to bring together, which is why he said the Protect College Sports Act can spur quicker action. By waiting any longer, Calipari thinks donor fatigue could become a bigger part of the landscape.

“If we get that and then five years down the road, there’s some sort of collective bargaining, I’m good with it,” Calipari said. “But that ain’t going to happen this next year. Sorry. We can’t go two or three more years like it is. And if anybody says, ‘Well, they say that every year,’ there is a tipping point. I wouldn’t be surprised if the donors finally say, ‘I’m done. I’m not doing this anymore.’ Well, they won’t. A guy is a billionaire or worth half a billion because he makes good decisions. That’s why he’s that.

“And you know what? He probably got grandkids, great grandkids and he’s like, ‘I’m just giving this for what? What is this?’ And then the kid got hurt, and then transferred. I paid him all this money. He got hurt, did not play and then left, and left with the money. I mean, we’re getting to that point.”