“I told him, 'it’s really never been personal, John Calipari'": When NCAA analyst Jeff Goodman explained his “animosity” towards ex-Kentucky HC

Jeff Goodman once revisited his tussle with Arkansas coach John Calipari in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio in 2023. Jack Pilgrim asked the NCAA analyst about the bad blood between him and the coach, noting that UK fans label him as Cal's hater.

"What led to the kiss and makeup moment for Cal where did the animosity between you two stem from because that's kind of what Kentucky fans say that you just hate Cal," Pilgrim asked (at 3:08).

Goodman said that it brewed when he criticized Cal's approach to handling certain player dynamics at Memphis.

"I wrote a column basically saying, 'Hey Cal, you got a chance here to do something special make sure your kids are bought in and not taking all these dumb decisions late at night," he said (at 4:08).

In response, one of John Calipari's representatives banned Goodman from attending Tigers' games. As Cal transitioned to Kentucky, Goodman wrote another story involving Abdul Gaddy, a then-high school recruit who went to Washington instead of the Wildcats.

The UK coach felt that Jeff Goodman crossed a line and allegedly tried to get Goodman fired multiple times in his career.

"I ended up running the story, obviously, Cal was not happy because it did not look good for him ... so that was kind of the tipping point. That's when, I've said this before ... at least from what I've been told ... he tried to get me fired at numerous places."

However, the two notable college basketball names eventually reconciled after an intervention by Eric Lindsey.

"So we talked through it and he said, 'Listen, I got no problem with you taking shots at me as long as it's not personal.' I said, 'It's really never been personal Cal but again when you try to get me fired at multiple places, I'm probably not going to be the most objective person in the world at that point.'"

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Jeff Goodman continues to criticize John Calipari's coaching

John Calipari made a surprising move in the summer of 2024, leaving Kentucky after 15 years for Arkansas. The coach was followed by four Wildcats players from the portal and landed a few top-tier recruits for his first lineup at Fayetteville.

However, the team has performed below expectations this season, recording a 20-12 overall and 8-10 SEC run.

With that, when UA lost to Oklahoma on Jan. 25, Jeff Goodman questioned Cal's coaching acumen. He also labeled his coaching staff as a group full of "yes men," while pointing fingers at the team's adjustment to modern-day basketball.

"I think time has passed him by a little bit,” he said on The Paul Finebaum Show in January. "I think he and his staff haven't adapted like a lot of other coaches in the league and even around the country … Everybody else is adapting and John Calipari and his staff full of yes men haven’t really adapted."

Arkansas went on a 7-4 conference run after Goodman's comments for the 9th spot in the SEC standing. They began the conference tournament on Tuesday with a 72-68 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.