Kentucky coach Mark Stoops on Saturday opened up for the first time about the NCAA’s recent ruling that the Wildcats would have to vacate all 10 wins from its 2021 football season.
Kentucky and the NCAA settled on an agreement last month that placed the Wildcats’ football program on probation for two years after no less than 11 players were found to have received payment for work/jobs they never performed between spring 2021 and March 2022.
RELATED: Kentucky football agrees to two years probation, will vacate wins from 2021
As part of the NCAA’s sanctions, Kentucky agreed to vacate its 10 wins from 2021, a season that ended with the Wildcats earning a victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Kentucky also posted wins that year over rivals Florida, Louisville and South Carolina, in addition to scoring just the program’s second victory over LSU since the 90s.
“I really can’t say much. I’m not trying to dodge it, but you’re disappointed because a lot of people did a lot of hard work to get to that place,” Stoops said after Kentucky’s first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday. “Obviously, three years ago to now, things have changed dramatically, but it still doesn’t make it OK.”
Stoops said the NCAA had asked him not to comment on the case but added: “It was three years ago. I’m really worried about right now. We work tirelessly to educate our kids and to make sure they’re doing everything right. We’re far from perfect, but we work at it and try to do the best we can. I know the compliance at this university is very diligent.”
Stoops couldn’t help but point to the irony of the current college sports model where players are allowed to profit off name, image and likeness — and the means in which they can solicit money.
“Certainly in today’s world, we wouldn’t be having these conversations. You could just flat give it to them — well, I shouldn’t say that,” Stoops quipped.
“You gotta send a tweet to get a million dollars, if you call that work,” he said with a laugh. “So, a little different.”
Kentucky opens the 2024 season August 31 at Kroger Field against Southern Miss. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on SEC Network.