"That’s Some Yellow Journalism": Mark Pope Fires Back at Reporter Over Kentucky's NIL Spending After Humiliating Kansas Loss

The $22 million number was supposed to belong to last season. Kentucky spent it, injuries wrecked the campaign, and a second-round tournament exit closed the book. Three games into the new season, one 89-69 loss to Kansas opened it again, and Mark Pope did not hide that it hit a nerve.

“Highest paid roster in the sport? Guess again. Ain’t us. I know you’ve written plenty about that. Now that’s some yellow journalism. Hot pot of bullsh*t.” Independent journalist Scott Hughes posted on X.

Mark Pope said this in response to a reporter’s question about the Wildcats’ expenditure ahead of this season. The coach ended up leaving the press conference.

By “yellow journalism,” Pope meant that reporters sensationalize stories and exaggerate claims to attract attention, often at the expense of journalistic integrity. While Pope denies that his program is currently the highest-paid roster, the reporter’s question did not just come out of the blue. According to Norlander and Trotter, the Wildcats are among the programs that spent more than $20 million on their roster this season, alongside Texas Tech, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, St. John’s, Louisville, Duke, Tennessee, and Michigan.

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The Wildcats’ projected spending isn’t surprising, considering it is in the ballpark of what they spent last season. The reporter’s question becomes more valid when we understand the personnel the Wildcats acquired this season. Kentucky’s recruitment of Milan Momcilovic was a major statement of intent.

The former Iowa State standout is regarded as one of the best outside-the-arc shooters. While his NIL deal remains undisclosed, reports have suggested that Kentucky put forward an offer worth as much as $6 million. If true, the figure would underline just how aggressively the program is investing in its roster.

The hype made the loss even harder to swallow. Just three games into the season, Kentucky had a chance to show that last year’s injury-hit collapse and second-round tournament exit were behind them. Instead, the Champions Classic in Chicago became another painful reminder of how much Mark Pope still has to fix.

That was not all: after standout Otega Oweh left for the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler entering the transfer portal, the Wildcats had work to do in the backcourt. Pope responded by bringing in Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Mason Williams, and Jerone Morton.

Such significant financial commitments call for success, which the Wildcats failed to deliver against the Jayhawks. In 36 minutes, Momcilovic only scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.

“From a coaching perspective, we got to be more creative to find ways to get (Momcilovic) plays,” Pope said.

While Diallo was their best player with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, he was part of the program’s defensive issues.

Pope has always dealt with media scrutiny, much like other high-profile college coaches. Having spent years in the spotlight, he has seen how media coverage has changed and how different stories can influence the way people view him and his program.

Back in February, when Pope was asked what advice he could give to up-and-coming journalists, the 54-year-old had a lot to say.

“I would tell you guys that you’re in a really complicated space, from my position, where, unfortunately, you’re just going to be graded on clicks. Like that’s just what you’re graded on… And, for my money, if you’re great, if you want to be great, you’re gonna probably do the impossible, and that’s gonna be like you’re gonna stay away from the cheap click, manufactured, artificial, skewed headline, and you’re gonna become like the world’s greatest storyteller,” Pope said.

Regardless, even after the program’s loss in the Classic, Pope remains optimistic about his third season with a fresh roster.

“This is a learning, growing group. It’s a group that, actually, there’s some confidence that comes from the fact that you believe you can get better. And our guys believe they can get better. They believe they can grow. So that’s what we got, and we’re gonna have to get a lot better. We will.” Pope said.

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