The SEC has fined Kentucky coach Mark Pope $25,000 for his “post-game conduct and comments” following his team’s 75-74 loss at Auburn on Saturday, the league announced.

Auburn won the game on Elyjah Freeman‘s tip-in with 1.1 seconds to go. That play followed a controversial offensive foul call against Collin Chandler that set up Auburn’s game winner.

“Mitch, if those mother F’ers try to fine me, screw ’em because I did not say a word about how they cheated us,” Pope said to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart as he left the postgame podium.

The league said Pope violated SEC rules after the game.

“University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has been issued a public reprimand and fined $25,000 by the Southeastern Conference for post-game conduct and comments related to officiating following the Wildcats’ game at Auburn University on February 21,” the SEC said in its statement on Tuesday. “The comments violated SEC Bylaw 10.5.3 (Sportsmanship) and the SEC Commissioner’s Regulation regarding Public Criticism of Officials, which prohibit coaches, student-athletes and institutional staff from publicly criticizing officials or disclosing officiating-related communications.”

Saturday’s game was the third consecutive loss for Kentucky, which reportedly spent more than $20 million on its current roster, and the team’s fourth loss in seven games just weeks before Selection Sunday. Late in Saturday’s game, Chandler was whistled for pushing off an Auburn player on the inbounds with nearly 14 seconds to go in the game. On the next possession, Auburn sealed the win on Freeman’s putback.

After the game, Pope said his team had to stay focused even if things were “personal.”

“We refuse to give control to people that are outside of our program. Refuse,” Pope said after the loss. “Regardless of how personal it might get or how bad it might get, we refuse to give control to fans, to give control to anybody else associated with this game. Regardless of how blatantly people are trying to make this not happen, we refuse to give them our power. … We don’t make excuses. We don’t do that. Regardless of what is happening. Regardless of how disgraceful things are, we don’t give away our power. Regardless of how embarrassing, personal, awful, unacceptable things are, we refuse to give away our power.”

The girlfriend of a college track and field athlete was arrested for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend to death. 

Kevaughn Goldson, a senior sprinter from Jamaica, was killed in a stabbing off Lincoln University’s campus in Jefferson City, Missouri. 

Goldson, 23, was found after police were called to a house on Monday morning with stab wounds in his back and chest. He died from his injuries after being taken to the hospital. 

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“Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation,” Lincoln University told KRCG in a press release regarding Goldson’s death. 

“The well-being of our University community is our greatest priority. Students and employees are reminded of counseling and other support services for those who need them.”

Goldson’s girlfriend, Denita Jackson, was charged by Cole County prosecutors with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. 

While in a romantic relationship, KMIZ in Missouri reported that there were past issues of domestic violence between the two. Jackson, 27, also ran track and field at Lincoln University. 

Investigators questioned Jackson, who allegedly told them she believed Goldson was having an affair with one of her roommates, saying she found him in bed with her, both individuals being clothed, after returning home.

General view of starting blocks and baton at the 120th Penn Relays at Franklin Field.  (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Jackson opened her roommate’s locked door with a hairclip after hearing her roommate talking with someone in her room, according to court documents. The docs said that Jackson jumped on her roommate’s bed and grabbed Goldson by the shirt, as well as a bottle of cologne that had allegedly been missing, leading to a fight. 

Goldson, then, allegedly started to choke Jackson while on top of her, leading to the latter grabbing a knife from under the bed and stabbing the former. 

Jackson was allegedly the one to call police regarding the incident, while authorities initially took Goldson to Capital Regional Emergency Room. He was, then, airlifted to University Hospital, where he eventually died during surgery. 

General view of hurdles at a Track & Field event.  (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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Goldson, who stood six-foot, 160 pounds, was a middle distance runner with the Blue Tigers earlier in his college career before moving into a sprinter role with the program. 

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Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has spoken of his regret over not applying himself in his studies when he was young, particularly when learning English.

The Argentina captain and 2022 World Cup winner admitted that he felt “half ignorant” when meeting famous personalities throughout his impressive career and not being able to communicate.

“I regret many things,” Messi, 38, told Mexican podcast “Miro de Atras.”

“To not have learned English as a boy. I had the time to have at least studied English and I didn’t do it. I deeply regret it.

“I experienced situations where I was with incredible and spectacular personalities to be able to talk and have a chat and you feel half ignorant.

“I always thought: ‘What an idiot, how I wasted my time.’

“When you’re young, you don’t realise it. Today that’s what I tell my children, [the importance of] having a good education, to study and be prepared.

“I always tell my children to take advantage of it. They have a different situation to the one I had although I never lacked anything…”

Messi arrived at Barcelona from his native city Rosario when he was 13.

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“It [my last year of school in Argentina] was a disaster,” he admitted.

“I knew that I was leaving [for Barcelona]. At Barcelona, I finished my high school with the other children that went to [Barcelona’s youth academy] La Masia.”

Meanwhile, Messi, who joined Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 after two years at Paris Saint-Germain, says football has offered him other valuable lessons.

“I was able to do everything and reach the top [in football], but along the way there are many experiences and lessons learned,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said.

“It’s true that football is a way of life. It teaches you a lot, it gives you a lot of values. It creates lifelong bonds. You get to know places.”