


Louisiana State University women’s basketball Head Coach Kim Mulkey said her team did not miss the national anthem “intentionally” on Monday ahead of its Elite Eight matchup against the University of Iowa.
Mulkey’s comments come following criticism from many online who accused Mulkey and LSU of deliberately skipping the anthem.
“Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” the head coach said in a press conference following her team’s 94-87 loss. “We kind of have a routine where we’re on the floor and then they come off [at the] 12-minute mark.”
“We just, I don’t know, we come in, and we do our pregame stuff,” she added. “I’m sorry. I, listen, I, that’s nothing intentionally done.”
The controversy went viral around tipoff time when video posted on X showed only the Lady Hawkeyes on the court holding hands while the anthem played, with the Tigers nowhere to be seen.
A local reporter from Baton Rouge commented on the post that “LSU is never on the court for the National Anthem.”
“It’s sad that people think that disrespecting the flag, the men & the women that fought for our country is an acceptable thing to do,” another user wrote.
“I guess that’s all I need to know about LSU,” one user added.
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Monday night’s anthem debacle is just the latest in a long line of purported problems faced by Mulkey, according to a recent profile on the coach that pulled few punches.
The story detailed spats with journalists, referees, and players, and it described allegations that Mulkey refused COVID-19 testing and asked her LGBT players to hide their sexuality.