Column by Austin Hill
Congratulations to Billy Gillispie for getting his life back on track. It was made official earlier this week as Gillispie plead guilty to drunken driving, taking the maximum penalty for a first time offender.
He will be losing his license for a month, paying a fine and hitting the mandatory alcohol classes all DUI offenders go through, and for Billy G, I think this is the best thing that could have ever happened.
I was at the introductory press conference when he first arrived, where a reporter asked about a previous suspicion of DUI charge that occurred in Texas prior to his taking the UK job.
At the time I thought it was classless to pry into someone’s private life, speculating on speculation. Who would have known that question would embody the future of what was to be Gillispie’s downfall just a short time later.
Gillispie’s tenure here at UK was marred by rumors, and gossip of his late night adventures, yet he still established himself as a rock star in the eyes of many.
Truth was, Billy G. was nothing more than an alcoholic. He suffered from something common in our society — addiction to substances.
Combined with an ego, money and the power that comes with coaching one of the most historic franchises in college sports, Gillispie fast tracked himself toward the drain, spiraling down one sip at a time.
His job performance suffered from it, his relationships, along with his overall well being. Gillispie let the alcohol take over, creating another entity to himself, and now through his recovery hopefully he shall prove those many wrong and go make something more of his life.
He is not any different from a large number of people who suffer from addiction issues except he was rich, he was famous, he became hated and then he got caught. Billy Gillispie, whatever his motive, at least did the right thing and finally sought help for his problem.
With the help of John Lucas, a former NBA coach who now runs a treatment facility, Gillispie began to get himself back in shape — body and mind, heart and soul.
People don’t understand how hard it is to take your life back from addiction until you recognize the problem. From the looks of the tailgating I have witnessed this year, there are many who kick the man who need to check themselves in the mirror first.
I took my life back from alcohol over four years ago, and it was not an easy road to take. More importantly, it is not an easy road to stay on. My hope for Billy is that even when the road gets bumpy, he can remember how rocky his life had gotten and maybe that will keep him on the straight path.
For the John Calapari worshippers who think Billy was such a bad coach or a bad hire, remember this: Gillispie has the same number of national championships as Cal, has two less major violations on his former programs’ behalf, cost approximately $24 million less and has a better record against Tennessee. Just saying …
Good luck to Billy Clyde. I hope his future is much more productive than his recent past. I hope he finds the forgiveness he needs, for the redemption I know he could have.
Austin Hill is an English senior. E-mail opinions@kykernel.com.
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