After Cal Adomitis announced his Cal's Kids fundraiser, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi talked about how his players have approached NIL laws and used them for the good of the community.
Here's what Narduzzi said to the press on Thursday.
The NLI stuff has kind of taken a different direction with your guys.
Narduzzi: As the head football coach, I’m just proud of Cal and our guys and how they present themselves. We talk about our program goals - we talk about graduation, winning championships, and one of those is giving back to the community. We’ve done this for seven years and I hope that has something to do with what we want to do with our players. I couldn’t be prouder for him to partner with UPMC and Children’s Hospital and do what he does.
Everybody talks about winning football games and all those, but you’re winning off the field, too. I think that’s sometimes overlooked: the quality of character guys we have in this program. My hat goes off to Cal and the rest of them.
What was your message to the team when NLI first appeared?
Narduzzi: I didn’t have a message. There was no message. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey guys, you should use it to to do this.’ There was no message. It was in the middle of July, I think. I was on vacation in Rhode Island, so there wasn’t a message. It was kind of like ignored because I’m not supposed to do anything anyway. I don’t get involved in the deals. That’s not my job. I’m not allowed to talk about it. So I just kind of let it go and our kids did it on their own.
Is this what you expected, though? I think a lot of people were expecting players to be getting cars and checks, but did you expect this kind of use?
Narduzzi: I did not. I didn’t know what to expect. Our kids have done it the right way. They’ve thought about other people. We talk about #WeNotMe; it’s not all about me, it’s about we and the team and the community in the city of Pittsburgh. I think that’s something they’ve embraced this season and maybe that has something to do with it, too. But our kids have some big hearts and, like I said, I’m just proud to be their head coach.
As much as you’ll remember what players do on the field, are these the types of things you’ll keep with you?
Narduzzi: There’s no question. There’s no question about it. I mean, it’s all that. It’s the goals that we have here. It’s the goals that we have here. We talk about it all the time, about the program goals and what we want to do, and it’s certainly one of them. Our kids do a lot of community service, whether it’s giving their time or giving their money. We want to try to put smiles on people’s faces in this community, and this is certainly - you know, what better? You look at Nora’s face up there, such a beautiful young lady that’s got to deal with the things she deals with. That’s big.
Do you look forward to seeing Cal without the long locks?
Narduzzi: I do. I do. He said he’ll shed a tear; I don’t think there will be any tears shed. Except tears of joy, really, about what he’s doing. It’s a great idea. I’m sure the community will back him up as well.
It’s going to be after the season.
Narduzzi: After the season. I don’t know when that is. Let’s hope it’s in January sometime.
Cal didn’t have to be here this year. He had opportunities at the next level. What does it say about a guy that could have been in the NFL right now, probably, to come back and not just be focused on himself and his personal things but the team and the community and all that other stuff?
Narduzzi: Again, it’s a tribute to who he is as a person. You think about how he was raised by his mom and dad; obviously, they did a terrific job all through high school. He went to Central Catholic, so he’s got some great background there. And then he’s come to us, so he hasn’t lost what he gained through his childhood.
He’s smart, he’s educated, he wants more degrees, turned down an opportunity to go to Mobile to be here because he’s going to have that opportunity. Some people rush their lives; he’s not worried about rushing his life. He wants to continue to impact his team and this city of Pittsburgh.
What are his prospects for the next level?
Narduzzi: He’s going to be in the NFL. I’ve sent some long-snappers that are still traveling through the NFL. He’s a leader, he’s a competitor. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t play in the NFL. He’s going to have his opportunity, that’s for sure. He was the top long-snapper a year ago and he’ll be the top long-snapper this year as well.
