Pope Skirts $7M Lendeborg Claim, Says Media Turns Kentucky Into a ‘Circus’
Kentucky coach Mark Pope criticized media coverage as a 'circus' and refused to confirm Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg's reported $7 million offer, calling for responsible reporting.
- On Thursday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mark Pope, Kentucky men's basketball coach, declined to address Yaxel Lendeborg's reported offer and criticized the media for creating a 'circus'.
- Lendeborg said in an AP interview that Kentucky offered him a 'number' between $7 million and $9 million, prompting national attention.
- Pope urged skepticism, stating, 'Please don't believe anything you read about anything,' and estimated media accuracy at 'in the fifth percentile' on Thursday.
- The claim made national headlines and especially dominated Kentucky coverage, with Pope warning 'In terms of the NIL situation, it might add some pressure to it' and calling it a distraction.
- The Wildcats have sought to maximize current NIL regulations, which frames recruiting scrutiny, as Yaxel Lendeborg told the AP Kentucky's offer started in the $7 million to $9 million range.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Mark Pope Refuses To Debunk Claims Of Desperate Swing And Miss On Yaxel Lendeborg
Yaxel Lendeborg claims he was offered upwards of $9 million to play for the Kentucky basketball program. Mark Pope was asked his side of the story ahead of his team’s NCAA Tournament opener. The head coach refused to provide clarity on the Wildcats‘ pursuits. Instead, he took a shot at the media. Was Lendeborg lying? For now, all we have is his word. Kentucky missed on Yaxel Lendeborg. The transfer forward was an all-defensive player at UAB over…
UK's Pope irked, mum on Lendeborg's money talk
Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope had a lot of things to say about Yaxel Lendeborg's comments that he received a a multimillion dollar offer to play for the Wildcats -- except for saying the Michigan star was wrong.
Mark Pope sidesteps Yaxel Lendeborg offer talk, blasts media for contributing to Kentucky's 'circus'
Kentucky coach Mark Pope danced around a report from The Associated Press that his program offered a huge NIL deal to Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg when he was...
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