As LSU seeks to defend its national title at the NCAA tournament, it could be facing a distraction off the court.
On Friday, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde reported that a story in The Washington Post about coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] and the Tigers women’s basketball team was forthcoming.
What the story pertains to remains unclear, but Mulkey seemingly confirmed its existence on Saturday with an explosive rant ahead of LSU’s second-round game against Middle Tennessee on Sunday.
“This reporter has been working on a story about me for two years,” Mulkey said. “After two years of trying to get me to sit with him for an interview, he contacted LSU on Tuesday as we were getting ready for the first-round game of this tournament with more than a dozen questions demanding a response by Thursday right before we’re set to tip-off. Are you kidding me?
“This was a ridiculous deadline that LSU and I could not possibly meet, and the reporter knew it. It was just an attempt to prevent me from commenting and an attempt to distract us from this tournament. It ain’t gonna work, buddy.”
#LSU’s Kim Mulkey speaks on the rumored reports of an article being posted by the Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/bkEEMeWQrn
— Bryce Koon (@bryce_koon) March 23, 2024
She explained that the reporter in question, whose identity remains unclear, rubbed her the wrong way with a previous “hit piece” on [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], which is why she refused to sit for an interview with him.
Mulkey didn’t discuss the subject matter of the story, though she did accuse the reporter of misleading former assistant coaches about the fact that he was in contact with Mulkey. She also claimed he reached out to former players offering anonymity to say “negative things” about Mulkey.
She also threatened legal action against the newspaper if it were to publish a “false story” about her.
“I’m fed up, and I’m not going to let The Washington Post attack this university, this awesome team of young women I have, or me without a fight. I’ve hired the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue The Washington Post if they publish a false story about me. Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable, but I am, and I’ll do it.”
We don’t yet know when the story will be published or what it will contain, but Mulkey felt the need to get out ahead of it with an impassioned prepared statement.
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