As a white man, John Calipari was not sure how he should respond to the social unrest that developed after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Should he say something? Should he do something? Should he stay in his lane, as the saying goes, stick to sports and move on?
The Kentucky head basketball coach says he wrestled with those questions in the days immediately following the controversy and the Black Lives Matter movement that swept across America.
"(The murder of George Floyd) moved me to say, 'Wow. Am I missing something?' And I was. I started to understand that I may never understand, but I stand with you," Calipari said.
A discussion with his wife, Ellen, after a phone call helped push him in a new direction.
"When she was hearing some of the conversation, 'Cal stay out. You don't need to do panels. You're a white man. Why would you step in this?' ... She said that's exactly why you need to let your voice be heard. But more than that, you need to do something. You come up with all these great ideas, why don't you come up with something?" Calipari said.
After taping an episode of his popular quarantine streaming show "Coffee with Cal" with former Duke standout and current Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker, a brainstorm emerged. The result was the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative, a program that the UK coach has helped establish and lead alongside many of his colleagues in the profession.
On Monday night, Calipari gathered with a panel that included Amaker, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, Gonzaga coach Mark Few, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin, and South Carolina coach Frank Martin to discuss the MLI. Thirty-seven head coaches have already joined the effort to provide more access to leadership positions for minorities at universities.
The goal, Calipari said, is to have five applicants per year mentor with leaders in the athletic department or the university at participating schools. At Kentucky, for example, an individual could shadow athletics director Mitch Barnhart or even president Eli Capilouto.
The Calipari Foundation will fund the position for five candidates at UK for the next six years beginning with the 2020-21 athletics season. He is also seeking matching funds from private donors, corporate sponsors, and other partners to support additional schools that wish to participate in the program.
After going through the program, the MLI Future Leader could become an attractive employee for the university and create more diversity in positions that have the power to influence change and equality.
"We coaches are putting a little bit of pressure for athletic departments to move in this direction," Calipari said. "... I just hope that they do it because it's the right thing to do. We lack diversity. Not on the fields, but in the athletic departments. You can just see it. You know it. This is access and opportunity.
Added Calipari: "My hope is that (coaches) can look back on this and say the best thing in our career that we did -- forget about national titles and league titles and all the other stuff that comes along with coaching -- this is where we had an impact."
The program is named for legendary basketball coach and ambassador John McLendon. Read more about his life and career at this LINK
“The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative is a huge step in the right direction for enhancing the pipeline within our industry,” said Andrea Williams, Chief Operating Officer at the College Football Playoff (CFP) and McLendon Foundation President. “There are many qualified minority individuals who are prepared to make their mark and begin their careers in college athletics, and this program, jumpstarted by Coach Calipari, is a great foundation to build on.”
