Why Mark Stoops is keeping quiet on Chris Rodriguez

The Big Blue Nation waited on bated breath when Mark Stoops stepped up to the podium for his first game week press conference of the 2022 Kentucky football season. It quickly became clear the Kentucky head coach would not divulge further information about his star running back’s absence on the depth chart.

“I expect a few of them will have multiple game suspensions but I don’t know.,” Stoops said. “I’ll address it next week.”

Stoops’ remarks left Kentucky fans wanting more. It’s clear Chris Rodriguez and Jordan Wright will not play in the season-opener. One, maybe both, may return next week. They may not be the only ones sidelined for unknown circumstances.

“There are layers to things. It’s not always black and white. The players have rights and there are processes involved. That’s where we’re at,” Stoops said.

“I’ve been in tune with this situation for a while. I haven’t been withholding. Things change, you know? Things evolve, things change. Information comes and goes. There are different layers to things. That means there are multiple different entities involved. I prefer not to dig anymore into it. I’m not withholding anything. I’ve been pretty in tune with what I felt like things were going to happen, but I have bosses and they have bosses.”

There is one student-athlete’s right in particular that is preventing Stoops from shedding more light on the situation. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Think of it as the HIPPA for students at all levels of education. As Stoops alluded to, he cannot provide more details into the situation without violating the players’ federal rights.

It’s not the first time Kentucky football has been intertwined with its students’ FERPA rights. Last summer six Kentucky football players involved in an off-campus fraternity party fight were withheld from practice while the university’s code of conduct board investigated. They were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing by the school. Thanks to FERPA, it was all kept behind closed doors… until the Lexington Police Department pressed charges. Those charges were later dropped and players were once again cleared of any wrongdoing.

Mark Stoops’ hands are tied.

However, there’s probably a little gamesmanship tied to this coy strategy. Even if the powers that be have reached a conclusion how many games players must miss this fall, it’s in Kentucky’s best interest to keep the Florida Gators guessing ahead of their week two matchup in The Swamp. Without Jordan Wright, Kentucky will primarily play a nickel defense. Once he returns to the lineup, they will be a base 3-4 team. That dramatically changes how Florida’s offensive coordinator calls plays. The less the Gators know, the better.

There’s no denying this has been frustrating. For a quarter of the calendar year, Kentucky fans have wondered when they will see Chris Rodriguez on the football field. Any sort of resolution would be welcomed with open arms. Unfortunately, the waiting game continues for another week, maybe even longer. It’s the price the BBN must pay ahead of a highly anticipated 2022 season.