Popovich: JFK assassination led to 'the beginning of the downfall' of America

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich - never one to shy away from expressing himself - reflected on his country 50 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

“What I always think about is what would have happened with the damned Vietnam war. That’s always a big question.” Popovich told Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express. "Would he have been smart enough to get us out of that quagmire?"

Popovich attended Air Force Academy during the escalation of the Vietnam war and has strong opinions about what that conflict did to America.

"I think that was the beginning of the downfall, really, of our country," Popovich said. "We lost the trust we had gained through the second World War, and our economic stability and, all of a sudden, it all started going downhill."