Tuesday afternoon, John Calipari hosted a press conference to recap the offseason moves this summer, as we approach the season in just one month.
Calipari was asked if he thought it was smart that his players played a pick-up kickball game at a park in Lexington with the public on Monday evening, due to the continued outbreak in covid cases.
He responds, "I’m going to say something that I haven’t said. I had the vaccines. My wife did first minute. As a matter fact, I busted the line. I wanted to get vaccinated because I was around young people. I had a breakthrough (case) this summer, so I got the virus this summer. Do you know why I didn’t say anything? Why didn’t I say anything? Let me see how smart people are here. This is a hard question for you guys here. I need someone that’s smart. Why would I not say anything?”
Reporter responds, “Because you didn’t want to discourage people from getting the vaccine?”
Cal answers, “There you go.” He continues with, “I will tell you that I did not want to discourage anyone, and have them say, “Well, now he got it so why would I take it?” It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you, my symptoms were so mild that I was good. I had some aches and pains and stuff. Never got a headache, never got the fever, nothing, but I was positive. I had to separate from my wife. I was upstairs. She was downstairs. She never got it. We tested her a bunch.”
“Then the other thing I want to tell you is I’ve had friends now who sent their kids to school. They’ve been vaccinated and they’ve got the virus because they got it from their 11-year-old, 10-year-old, nine-year-old that cannot be vaccinated yet, bring it home, and they got a breakthrough. How about this? They are not going to die. They are not going to die.”
“So, all I’m saying is, I’m not telling anyone what to do with her body. I’m telling you what happened to me and what’s happened to my friends, and I care about — my concern is 12 players in our fans. I don’t want to hear anybody died because I didn’t do it. I’m just saying it doesn’t say you’ll never get it, but the chances of something severe happening are really, really low, and I want us to have a full arena this year. But we’re going to have to go with what the health officials say. So, let’s hope we beat this down and I got through to one person, I saved a life. That said, you know what, it’s free. I don’t like shots. I don’t like shots either, believe me. My wife couldn’t believe I went. When I see a needle, I about faint. So, you’ll never see a tattoo on this body. What, a tattoo? No, because I’m not taking a needle. You take the shot, you got a chance. I’m not telling anybody what they have to do. I’m telling you what happened to me.”
I heard word that Cal had covid earlier this summer, but didn't think I was the person to release it since someone that I heard it from didn't want it becoming news either. And with UK not releasing the information, I didn't feel comfortable doing so.
It should have been obvious that he had something going on when he missed multiple recruiting events, one which held his entire staff at during a major day of recruiting elite players in a specific tournament.. Days that Cal should have (and normally would have) been there. It was clear that he had something going on, keeping him from appearing. Turns out the news was indeed true.