During a close basketball game, it’s difficult to avoid getting caught up in the moment. That’s what University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari claims happened when he cussed out one of his freshman players, Terrence Jones, on national television.
Now, Calipari is apologizing for the incident .
According to USAToday.com, Calipari drew up a play for Doron Lamb at the end of the Wildcats’ 68-66 loss to Alabama. But Jones received the inbounds pass and took an errant half-court shot. Sources say even before Calipari shook hands with Alabama head coach Anthony Grant, Calipari was on the court calling Jones a “selfish motherf——.”
The Kentucky coach later wrote an apology on his Twitter page.
“First of all, I want to apologize for my language at the end of the game,” Calipari wrote. “I got caught up in the emotion of the game, but that’s no excuse.
“Sometimes you don’t realize in the moment that what you’re saying is on national TV. The [Big Blue Nation] deserves better, and so do my players.”
According to Catspause.com, a Wildcats fan site, reaction to Calipari’s outburst has been mixed. Some say they understand the coach’s reaction, while others have called it “ugly,” “uncalled for” and “an embarrassing moment.”
Fanhouse.com reports that Jones hasn’t been on good terms with his coach recently, and Jones allegedly was benched during Kentucky’s game against Auburn University because of passing issues. Ironically, Jones only had two assists in Tuesday’s loss.
