John Calipari pokes fun at athletic directors, presidents amid changing NIL landscape

Former Kentucky coach John Calipari is embracing change as he gets settled in at Arkansas, a fresh twist in his coaching journey and one that rocked the college basketball world.

One of the big drivers in Calipari’s decision appears to be the support he’s been given on the NIL front, and the head man intimated he’s got more support there now than he has had in the past.

“If you had an AD that supported it and helped you, OK,” John Calipari said. “But those aren’t a whole lot of them. They’re just not. So now it’s on the ADs and the presidents, and it’s off of us. Here’s what you can do, and I love it because it’s not me having to make decisions.”

Potential shot at Mitch Barnhart aside, Calipari has done his best to remain on the cutting edge of NIL. Kentucky probably wasn’t considered that toward the end of his tenure.

At a new stop now, though, Calipari is doing his best to adapt.

“I’ve always said what’s next and how can we be first?” John Calipari said. “So you kind of read your tea leaves and how they’re going to do things. How do you do things and try to make it where it works for everybody? I’ve always been about players.”

There’s little doubt that NIL is here to stay, though in what form remains to be seen. As Congress rules on a variety of topics, it’s likely to shift what can and can’t be done in the sport.

Staying nimble will be key.

Calipari wants to ensure his players are well taken care of, while also making sure he’s putting together a squad that’s ready to play basketball at a high level.

“I want them to do well, but you also want to make sure you’re doing right by them in how you’re dealing with this,” John Calipari said. “Making sure you have people talking to them about taxes. And it’s not Texas, it’s taxes. I tell them, you know, you’re going to look at some of this and can’t believe half your money better go in a tax account. You’ve got to teach them about compounding interest.

“So OK, you’re giving them money but what are you doing to protect them and teach them the things they need? But we’re doing it. And hopefully within the next couple years they come up with a better plan, because this is all falling on coaches, both in football and basketball. It has fallen straight on coaches to do it. That’s it.”