The decision by Kentucky male basketball players and their coach, John Calipari, to kneel down during the national anthem before a game over the weekend sparked a backlash in the conservative state, which voted, 62 percent to 36 percent, in President Trump at the November General Elections.
Kentucky players said they discussed their decision to kneel with Calipari before Saturday’s game in Florida. The gesture, an increasingly common statement of support for social justice measures by athletes, was inspired in part by the crowd’s attack on the United States Capitol last week in Washington, the players said, and then when Calipari summoned several of them to ask what they had planned, they asked him and the rest of the coaches to join them.
While last week’s events in Washington were the spark for the kneeling discussion, the players said they also had other issues in mind.
“It’s a lot of things that happen every day that we kneel for,” said Kentucky striker Keion Brooks. “Capitol, these things, had a role to play in that, but there are some other things that we don’t see and that happen every day that are unacceptable, against which we want to position ourselves.”
Images of the scenes in Washington, where supporters of President Trump invaded the U.S. Capitol and openly threatened lawmakers, affected players, they said.
“There were a few things,” said striker Isaiah Jackson. “Like, I saw the tie. That was just – it came out of the pocket. This is just something that people shouldn’t be doing. “
It was the first time that Kentucky players knelt to hear the anthem this season, an act that was popularized last year during the Black Lives Matter protests. In previous games, the team was not on the court for the anthem.
A Florida player, Scottie Lewis, also kneed during the anthem.
The incident angered many in Kentucky, including fans who expressed disagreement on social media, public figures and at least one government agency.
At the state assembly on Monday, Senate President Robert Stivers wept as he criticized the players. He also condemned the occupation of the Capitol building in Washington on Wednesday, but said of the players’ knees: “Was it in the right place or at the right time? This is debatable. “
Calipari rejected Stivers’ claim that the kneeling act disrespected the military.
“These were not military personnel,” Calipari said on his radio program on Monday. “Six of these players come from military families. Or your father was in the military, your brother, your uncle, some of them, your grandparents, they were military. It was not about the military. “
At least one government agency has called for the university’s funding to be depleted by the lawsuit. The Knox County legislature, known as the Tax Court, adopted a resolution calling for state money for the university to be reallocated because of the protest.
The university “receives millions and millions of dollars each year from hard-working Kentucky taxpayers’ money,” Chief Judge Mike Mitchell of Knox County told The Times-Tribune of Corbin, Ky. “I think they need to be held accountable for their actions, if they can they don’t manage it better than that. “
Laurel County Sheriff John Root burned some Kentucky equipment on Facebook, then added in a post: “Honestly, I can’t believe that a team from Kentucky (Hillbilly State) brought our national anthem to the knees with the American flag displayed. “
But the players also had defenders. The university’s dean, Eli Capilouto, and athletic director Mitch Barnhart, released a joint statement on Monday.
“A value that we all love in our country is the right to freedom of expression and self-expression,” they wrote. “This right for young students like these is also important, as they learn, grow and discover who they are and what they believe in. We will not always agree on all issues. However, we hope to reach an agreement on the right to self-expression, which is so fundamental for who we are as a higher education institution. “
Kentucky, national champion in 2012 and eternal contender, started 4-6 this season, with a 3-0 record at the Southeast Conference. The Wildcats’ next game is Tuesday night at home against Alabama. Players said they are undecided whether to kneel again, but, for or against, their fans will have a chance to be heard: unlike some states, Kentucky continues to allow spectators at sporting events during the pandemic, and more than 3,000 have permission to participate.