LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Several years ago, before the University of Louisville eventually hired Kenny Payne as basketball coach, I wrote — half-jokingly — that the school needed to get the hire right, because in some ways, the job of U of L coach was more important than the job of mayor.
A few days later, I saw a mayoral candidate at a luncheon, and Craig Greenberg, who now is the mayor, leaned over and said, “I think you may be right.”
Monday was a good reminder — no, I’m not.
A UPS plane went down near the end of a runway at Muhammad Ali International Airport. Thirteen people lost their lives. First responders rushed toward danger. Families were shattered. A city’s heart broke. Again.
There are moments that put everything in its proper place.
And yet, there’s still room for gestures. Still room for voices to rise above the scoreboard.
That’s what Pat Kelsey did Thursday night.
Before he said a word about his team’s win, Pat Kelsey wanted to talk about Louisville’s loss. He wanted a moment, not of silence, but humanity.
“My heartfelt thoughts and deep prayers go out to all the people affected by the horrible tragedy that happened a couple nights ago here in our beloved Louisville,” he said.
He named the UPS crew members. Thanked the first responders. Honored the bravery that we all suspect happened inside that cockpit. And he said what any city in mourning needs to hear:
“We Louisvilleians will put our arms around you and love you and be there for you. That’s what great communities do.”
It wasn’t a press release. It wasn’t pre-prepared. It was a coach being a person.
And for those who know Kelsey’s story, it wasn’t out of character.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he gave an emotional postgame statement that went viral. Later, he brought in families of the victims to speak to his team. His players wore the names of those children on their jerseys.
Some coaches coach the game. Others use the game as a platform for something larger. Kelsey has always leaned toward the latter. And if your faith or humanity tells you that you should, that’s a fine call to heed. It’s certainly a call Mark Pope at Kentucky follows, as he did in his postgame comments about the tragedy earlier this week, or Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm, on his radio program.
Thursday wasn’t about going viral or making headlines. It was about showing up. And sometimes, that’s enough. That’s what leadership looks like. A lot of people have been showing up in recent days and will be in the days to come.
Coaching at a place like Louisville comes with many responsibilities: fundraising, recruiting, winning. But there’s also a civic component. This is a position with a microphone. People listen.
And in times like this, when the city is hurting, the gestures and words matter.
When you’ve lost someone or been deeply affected by tragedy, there’s a certain pain in the going on of life. We keep playing games. I keep writing about sports. Shouldn’t the world stop for a minute? It never does.
But sometimes, in all the inexorable motion, we can still speak to those who are hurting, those doing the difficult work of recovery. We can say: We see you. We recognize you. We appreciate you. We hurt with you. We are here. We may be moving, but we are not moving away from you.
Kelsey’s statement wasn’t meant to be poetic, but it was meant to be present.
And in times of grief, presence is not only a gift, but a mark of leadership.
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