Mike Krzyzewski calls out politicians over inactivity following mass shootings
Former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski isn't happy with the state of things in the United States. Krzyzewski called out politicians for refusing to act following multiple mass shootings in the country.
Krzyzewski offered up his opinion during a SiriusXM show that taped at Cameron Indoor Stadium’s Champions Club. The show was set to air Friday.
Krzyzewski called out politicians for failing to protect the people they are supposed to serve, according to the News & Observer. He also said he was against people owning automatic weapons.
“The people that are suffering are people that need you,” Krzyzewski said. “Like, why don’t you? Come on. You know? What the hell are we doing? You know, we’re not taking care of our people. And we can go into the guns. Like, you need an automatic weapon? You gotta be kidding me. You got to be kidding me. It’s disgusting.”
Krzyzewski put the blame on those in power, saying they "should be ashamed" for not introducing legislation to curb mass shootings in the country.
“For us to see these kids get killed, members of our African American community get killed in a grocery store, members of our Jewish community getting killed in a synagogue [in a 2018 Pittsburgh shooting],” Krzyzewski said. “Come on. That’s not right. That’s not right. That’s not right. I mean it’s amazingly wrong. It’s amazingly wrong. And you should be ashamed of yourself, if you are in a position of power.”
Krzyzewski's comments reportedly drew applause at the event. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans want stricter gun laws. Despite that, political leaders have not introduced meaningful legislation and updated gun laws. The U.S. Senate took a recess for Memorial Day weekend days after 19 children were killed by a gunman in Uvalde, Texas. Krzyzewski referenced that shooting, as well as a racially-motivated shooting in May that occurred in a Buffalo grocery store and a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.
Krzyzewski attended college at West Point and served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1974. After his military service, Krzyzewski started his career in coaching. He spent time at Indiana as an assistant before coaching West Point. Krzyzewski was hired by Duke in 1980, and remained the team's head coach until he retired following the 2021 season.
