The decision by Kentucky men’s basketball coaches and players to kneel during the national anthem before a game over the weekend did not sit well with a bunch of people, and two of them are law enforcement officials in the heart of Big Blue Nation.
Laurel County Sheriff John Root threw a shirt celebrating a Final Four appearance by UK on an open flame and said the Wildcats had “disrespected the American flag and our national anthem.”
He was joined by Jailer Jamie Mosley, who also threw a shirt on the fire.
“These kids are good kids,” Calipari said. “They care about this country and all the other stuff. They’re trying to figure out life and making statements they think they have to make. I want to listen to what they’re saying, and then I’ll support them if they want me to be there.”
Root said he was “kind of disgusted and outraged” about “the disrespect that they showed last night to that flag .. and the disrespect to our veterans.”
Mosley encouraged UK fans who disagreed with the kneeling to bring shirts that they no longer want to the county jail Monday, where those fans could exchange them for “Back the Blue” shirts.
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“I can’t promise what size you’re going to get, because I expect they’re going to go fast,” Mosley added.
Chief of Police in Clarkson, Kentucky was also less than thrilled as he referred to the head coach as “The Comy.”
