Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey, like many parents, was hit hard by the events in Newtown, Conn. He has two daughters, ages four and five, and he knows how fortunate he is to be able to go home to them while 20 sets of parents in Newtown no longer have that privilege.
After his team’s loss to No. 4-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday night, Kelsey wanted to speak out about how lucky he is, calling on President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner to “step up” and fix the country’s issues. While not taking the same hard stance against guns that Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim did on Monday, Kelsey acknowledged the need for some things to change.
“I’m going to be an agent of change with the 13 young men I get to coach every day and the two little girls that I get to raise,” Kelsey said. “But hopefully things start changing, because it’s really, really disappointing.
“I’m proud to grow up American. I’m proud to say I’m part of the greatest country ever. And that’s got to stay that way. And it’ll stay that way if we change. But we gotta change.”
Watch Kelsey’s emotional speech in the video below.
