University of Kentucky chiefs supported athletes ‘right to protest on Monday after a local sheriff burned Wildcats’ equipment to express their discontent with the program.
Laurel County Sheriff John Root set Kentucky t-shirts on fire alongside county jailer Jamie Mosley on Sunday in a deleted Facebook post that followed a dismissal requirement from coach John Calipari. Laurel County is close to the Tennessee border and has a population of approximately 60,000 people.
Why is the sheriff crazy?
Root was upset that Wildcats players and coaches, including Calipari, knelt down during the national anthem before Saturday’s victory over Florida.
The Kentucky protest was in response to the crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump who invaded the United States Capitol last week to subvert verification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November.
UK bronze responds
Kentucky President Eli Capilouto and sports director Mitch Barnhart released a joint statement to ESPN on Monday supporting the school’s athletes in the light of criticism.
“A value that we all love in our country is the right to freedom of expression and self-expression,” says the statement. “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. We live in a polarized and deeply divided country. Our hope – and that of our players and coaches – is to find ways to reduce divisions and unify.
Calipari addressed the decision to kneel on Monday on his radio show.
“It was all the images they saw, and they wanted their voice to be heard, and I said, well, ‘Tell me what it is about,” he said, on ESPN. “They talked to me about it. Then they said, ‘We would like you to kneel with us’, which I did.
“I held my heart, but I knelt with them because I support the guys. But these were not military men. Six of these players come from military families. “
Root started his campaign on Saturday night, while calling Calipari’s job on a Facebook post.
“Honestly, I can’t believe that a team from Kentucky (the state of the hillbilly) put a knee to our National Anthem with the American flag on display!” Root wrote. … “UK clothes and souvenirs will end tomorrow and until we have a real man to lead the cats and a real team, you won’t see me back in any UK trash and if you just come and hit me in the mouth !!!! “
Court: Defund UK
The Knox County Tax Court also protested the basketball team, signing a unanimous resolution requiring that taxpayer funds allocated to the university be used elsewhere.
“The University of Kentucky receives millions and millions of dollars each year from Kentucky taxpayer cash,” Executive Judge Mike Mitchell told the Times-Tribune. “I think they need to be held accountable for their actions if they can’t manage it better than that.”
Knox County has a population of around 30,000 people and is also close to the Tennessee border.
More from Yahoo Sports: