With the Indiana men’s basketball team riding a four-game losing streak, Dan Dakich took aim at the state of his former program.
Only the former Hoosiers guard/interim head coach-turned-Outkick host didn’t criticize head coach Mike Woodson or even the play of the IU players, but rather star center Kel’el Ware for having tattoos.
“My man #iubb Ware got himself $1000’s of new tats,” Dakich posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. “How bout getting in the fing gym or film room and learn how to play instead of being n a tattoo chair”
“Fing #iubb mentally sucks.”
My man #iubb Ware got himself $1000’s of new tats
How bout getting in the fing gym or film room and learn how to play instead of being n a tattoo chair
Fing #iubb mentally sucks— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) February 26, 2024
As it turns out, Dakich’s post proved poorly timed — and not just because it’s 2024 and the idea of athletes (or anyone for that matter) having tattoos has been normalized for decades now. Despite having the audacity to have ink on his skin, Ware proceeded to turn in his best game of the season, scoring 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds while leading Indiana to a 74-70 victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
Taking to X shortly after his impressive outing, the former five-star prospect responded to Dakich’s post with a simple crying laughing emoji.
https://twitter.com/KelelWare/status/1762687186435027087
As somebody with a few tattoos myself (three to be exact), I’ll give Dakich this: they are time consuming. I got a half-sleeve on my shoulder last year and it took two separate four-hour sessions. That’s time that I could have spent honing my skills as a writer instead.
Another thing about tattoos no one will tell you: they freaking hurt. I got one on my inner-arm earlier this month and aside from being stabbed with a needle gun for three hours, the tattoo burned and itched for two weeks as it proceeded to heal.
But enough about my midlife crisis.
While tattoos might be time-consuming and painful, they also look awesome. And even if we didn’t have a 30-plus-year track record of athletes being built differently than I am, unless I missed something, there’s seemingly no indication that Ware had gotten any new ink recently (and if he did, that’s perfectly fine too).
It’s funny to think about the 61-year-old Dakich getting so fired up about his alma mater’s disappointing season that he felt compelled to lash out about a 19-year-old having tattoos. And it’s even funnier to think about him watching Ware’s performance on Tuesday night, wondering how it was possible with a body full of ink.
In many ways, Ware’s crying laughing emoji said it all.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.