Rick Pitino gave $15,000 to Kentucky Football's NIL fund

We found out in April that Rick Pitino donated to Kentucky Football’s NIL fund. It wasn’t just chump change.

During an interview with Matt Jones on the KSR Pregame Show, Pitino said he donated $15,000 to Kentucky Football’s NIL efforts. Pitino opened up on his budding friendship with Mark Stoops and Eddie Gran, and how excited he is for tonight’s game vs. Vanderbilt.

“I gave — well, I don’t want to say what I gave, but I gave a lot of money,” Pitino said. “I gave $15,000. Mark Stoops came in and was nice enough to come in. Eddie Gran is a good friend of mine. They came in to play golf with me. We played Wingfoot; we had a great time. I love Mark Stoops. Love Eddie.”

Pitino said he was originally only coming to support Stoops, Gran, and the football Cats this weekend, but was able to change his practice schedule to tack on the trip to Big Blue Madness. With his big reveal out of the way, he’ll be able to focus on the football game tonight.

“I hope they’re going to win because I won’t be on the sidelines for a while,” Pitino said of the football team. “I’m a big Mark Stoops fan. What he’s done with Kentucky football, they said couldn’t be done and he’s done it. I watched the Ole Miss game. It was awesome. Even the Georgie game was awesome, and I hope they get it tonight.”

“I love the Kentucky fans. I want the football team to kick butt tonight and go home with a smile.”

You heard the man. Let’s kick some butt.

Rick Pitino makes surprise appearance at Big Blue Madness

In case you’ve been under a rock, Pitino shocked the world last night when he came out with his former players at the end of Big Blue Madness, Mark Pope’s first as Kentucky’s head coach. He told Jones today that he didn’t realize he was going to speak, but Pope didn’t give him a choice when he handed him the mic.

“I came within inches of crying my eyes out. It was really very emotional for me because I was backstage in the back with all my players, and that was great to see them, even Todd Svoboda, who’s gone through a very difficult time and then seeing all the guys. It was very, very emotional for me. And then walking out became more emotional.”

“I didn’t know I was going to speak, I didn’t obviously know I was going to get that type of ovation. But it was one of the better nights of my life. So it really touched me.”