Pope Denies $7-9M Offer Rumor, Urges Responsible Coverage

0:00On March 24, Kentucky men's basketball coach, Mark Pope, strongly denied a claim for Michigan player Yaksal Lindoborg that he turned down a 7-2, $9 million dollar offer to join the Wildcats. Lindoborg had told the Associated Press he chose Coach Dusty May and Ann Arbor instead. Pope called the story completely false during his final weekly radio show of the season. Pope hesitated to dive deep into specifics at first, saying he did not want to chase every false narrative or give media the headlines they wanted. He urged reporters to dig for the truth themselves and focus on responsible coverage. This approached your attention from the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats, Tom Leach. Fans and media picked up on Pope's frustration with what he sees as a vocal minority pushing unverified stories in college basketball recruiting. He explained, his caution comes from the flood of misinformation out there, making it tough to address everything without fueling the fire.

1:00On Monday, Pope went on Leach's radio show for a clearer statement. He repeated there was no truth at all to the offer claim and hoped this would shut it down faster. He clarified his media comments targeted only a small group, not everyone. Whether this puts the rumor to rest remains unclear, but Pope seemed cautiously optimistic it might help shift focus back to the game.