With Kyle Macy absent, Calipari asked about welcoming former players back

On a night in which Kentucky recognized dozens of former players at midcourt during the Blue-White Game, John Calipari was asked about one who was noticeably absent. Without mentioning Kyle Macy by name, John Huang asked Calipari how he feels about former players who don’t feel welcome around the program anymore.

“What dust up?” Cal said. “I didn’t know that. Was I supposed to know that? I’m not here in the summer so I don’t know what they’re saying and doing. Who? Somebody said they’re not comfortable coming back?”

In July, Macy said in a radio interview he no longer feels comfortable going to Kentucky’s practices and that he doesn’t like how the program has become “a training ground for the pros.” During timeouts of the game, UK introduced the former players by decade. Macy was not with the group of alums from the 1970s.

“I’m not as involved with the program as I used to be,” Macy said on the Query & Schultz show on Fox Sports 1260. “There were times I could go to practice whenever I wanted and feel welcome, but I don’t know if that’s the case now. I don’t really have any desire to go there and go to practice.”

As part of Alumni Weekend, all former players were invited to watch the team practice tomorrow and attend a brunch and dinner.

“I’ve done this a long time and the former coaches and former players know now if there’s a reason you’re mad because of somebody else, they’re making you mad, I can’t do anything about that,” Calipari said. “But, me personally, we’re going to have 500 people at our practice tomorrow and they’re going to be alums, so it’s not an issue with us or our team or this program but I would tell you every player who has played here — I was just in there with Reggie and his wife, Reggie Warford — they know that I’m here. If I can help, if you want to come to practice, you know. But this is — sometimes you realize it’s about these players now. That’s sometimes hard. But they’re always welcome here.”

Calipari said Dewayne Peevy and his staff are in charge of inviting former players back, but his door is always open to anyone who wants to come talk.

“I think that everyone knows my stance in this and we’re going to do whatever we can. This program, when you talk family — and you have to understand now, I’ve said it from day one, this program did not start with me. Like, okay, it only because a program when I came here. I never was that way, I haven’t been. This program started with Coach Rupp who coached here 45 years and then it went to another great one, Coach Joe B. Hall, who is a dear friend, who was in practice three days ago, came in. And I’m kind of like, this seat, I rent this seat. This is not me. I just happen to be this guy in line and I’ve always felt that way about every job I’ve had.”