Self, Tang react to tragedy at Super Bowl parade
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TOPEKA (KSNT) – Two men’s basketball coaches at local universities took a moment to discuss something bigger than basketball.
The shooting that occurred in Kansas City during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade Wednesday has sent shock waves through the entire country, and especially through the state of Kansas.
KU Head Coach Bill Self and K-State Head Coach Jerome Tang both addressed the tragedy in their Thursday press conferences.
“In a time when you’re celebrating a championship by an incredible team that showed unbelievable guts and character and brought a whole state together, you hate to see those things happen,” Tang said.
K-State’s coach sends his thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims, while also extending gratitude to first responders and other heroes who helped out.
“With our guys, we, I feel like as a staff, do a really good job of teaching them to value every day, that tomorrow is not promised,” Tang said. “Because we can look around our own room and say we’re missing guys that used to be here.”
Kansas City is just a couple of hours from Manhattan and even closer to Lawrence. Self had a similar reaction to Tang, saying there were likely several people he knows personally who were in attendance on Wednesday.
“It’s just horrific. We’re in such a sad state, as everybody knows,” Self said. “The most family-friendly, wholesome thing that you could do to make your city look good and show your support of people who bring joy to you now has been minimized so much because of the safety issues that go along with it.”
Self said he hopes safety measures can improve so people feel comfortable attending even the most innocent of events moving forward.
“Whether it’s a concert or a parade, even attending a movie or going to school, these certainly aren’t looked at in the same way that it was back when I was growing up,” Self said. “And it’s sad that it’s become that.”
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