Mark Stoops speaks out on George Floyd protests

Not long after UK men's basketball coach John Calipari took to Twitter to address the events that have transpired nationally in recent days, Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops went out of his way to do the same. After the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Stoops said he is "deeply hurt" by the injustices we see in the United States and urged people to come together. "As so many of us have seen and felt, I deeply hurt for the injustice we have in our country," Stoops said in a statement on Twitter. "We must find a way to treat each other the way we want to be treated, with unity and respect. As a nation, we must overcome it. And we must begin now." Calipari released a similar statement, adding that he was "sick" and talked with his team about the events in an effort to establish an open dialogue about these issues. "Like many of you, I’ve been watching what’s been going on the last couple of days and have had some time to think about it and pray about it. All I can tell you is I’m sick," Calipari said. "Whether you’re talking George Floyd or a number of other incidents that have happened in our country and in our backyard, I’m sick because I cannot believe one human being could treat another human being the way we’ve seen with some of these injustices. "I don’t have all the answers. I wish I had some way to bring everyone together. But I do have one thought: It is wrong, it is unacceptable, and I am horrified by what I have seen. This cannot continue. I addressed it with our team this evening. I want to keep that conversation private, but what I will say is we need to have an open dialogue and conversation about these issues. The only way we can move forward as a nation is to be open and honest with ourselves." Floyd's death, along with other recent injustices, have sparked protests throughout parts of the nation, including the city of Louisville.