The issue that Calipari had at UMass was a situation where one player, Marcus Camby, decided to have contact and take money from 2 agents. From what I have read about the situation, Calipari and UMass then self-reported the infraction to the NCAA. The NCAA did not find that Calipari was guilty of anything. The idea that Calipari would suggest his star player contact and take money from an agent, and then self-report it, is pretty far fetched. The fact that UMass has now retired Calipari's jersey and plans to honor him in a ceremony is very telling as well. The situation with Rose is difficult to pin on Calipari as well. We all know it involved an allegation that someone else took the SAT for Rose. One handwriting expert has said it is likely (read: possible) that someone else took this test. This is based on the comparison of a printed signature with a cursive signature. The test was not invalidated until May 5 (after the Memphis run to the title game) and the school was informed by the testing service via email on May 13. (I'm reviewing an article on this as I'm typing.) Before that season began, Rose was cleared, not once, but twice by the NCAA. If Memphis had refused to play him, they'd have been facing a lawsuit themselves, since they were just dealing with an allegation made by 1 person. Even if the test was taken by someone else (a difficult feat in itself), this still doesn't make Calipari culpable. In fact, the NCAA, due to "strict liability" enforcement in this case, actually found Memphis guilty, not of cheating or knowingly playing an unqualified player, but only for playing an ineligible player after the fact. In both cases, the NCAA found that Calipari was not involved in any way with the infractions.
Now, the reasons to hate John Calipari are multiple...
1. He's not your coach. Most fans won't admit it but they'd love to have him as their coach. Since he's not, he's the devil.
2. He's a winner. He's won everywhere he's been. His opponents and their fans hate losing, naturally.
3. He's winning games for UK. This is even worse for many than just winning. Hating UK is a daily exercise for many.
4. He's the best recruiter in the business. He takes recruits from other schools.
5. He's heavily involved in the one and done era. The perception is that he doesn't care about the players, just wins and money.
6. He's got a big ego and a big mouth. No other big time college basketball coaches have these issues. (ha!)
I'm sure there are other reasons. But the bottom line point I'm making is that it's easy to become blinded by hate. If I were a Louisville fan, I know I'd hate Calipari. Heck, if I were a fan of Indiana, UNC, Kansas, Duke, or any school that has a shot at winning a title in any given year, I'm sure I'd hate him, too. The easiest thing to do, rather than deal with this man's success and address it rationally (which may include giving him some credit), is to simply dismiss him as a liar, a cheat, a sleazy guy, and say everything will be vacated eventually. That's easy. That's the route many take, especially those who post on message boards.
