In a powerful statement on Saturday, Louisiana State University’s renowned coach, Kim Mulkey, chastised The Washington Post, alleging the venerable newspaper had spent two long years on producing a damaging piece about her. Mulkey went beyond mere words, threatening the very essence of the paper with a legal response.
Mulkey painted a viscerally poignant picture as she recounted how The Washington Post imposed a merciless deadline on her amidst the fervor of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, her valiant team, were ensnared in the throes of preparation to defend their national championship.
She critically pointed her verbal quill at the Post’s award-winning reporter, Kent Babb, though she maintained a semblance of decorum by omitting his name. The seasoned scribe, Mulkey noted, had spent a pair of years attempting to secure an interview with her. This effort culminated in an insistent barrage of inquiries, bombarding the LSU offices as the team was poised on the precipice of their first-round game, demanding answers barely two days before their schedule was set to tip off.
Mulkey expressed her indignation, branding the Post’s deadline as not just ambitious, but bordering on the absurd. The suspected ulterior motives did not escape her trained eye. The issue was not simply a refusal to provide a comment but rather an orchestrated ruse meant to derail their focus from the imminent tournament matches. Babb was sharply rebuked with Mulkey assuring him, this scheme was doomed to fail.
Kent Babb, the journalist in the eye of this storm, did admit to crafting a profile of Mulkey but declined to venture further into the controversy. The Washington Post echoed the sentiment, also choosing silence over comment.
Babb, a Post veteran with over a decade’s tenure, has been recognized thrice at the national level by The Associated Press Sports Editors with his exceptional profiles. He also holds the distinction of adding two books to his repertoire, each chronicling the moving tales of American icons.
Meanwhile, Mulkey, only in her third season at LSU, already sports an impressive track record with the Tigers, securing her fourth title as national coach last season, a coup de grâce that saw a well-hipped 10-year, $36 million extension pushed her way. LSU, however, is merely the latest addition to her illustrious career, which also boasts of three national championships with Baylor, two player titles at Louisiana Tech, and an Olympic Gold Medal back in 1984.
Mulkey has been vocally critical of Babb for a while now, candidly admitting she refused an interview with him two years ago. The refusal stemmed from a purportedly biased piece Babb had written about Brian Kelly, the current LSU and former Notre Dame football coach, which Mulkey took personal offence to.
She turned the heat back on The Washington Post, adamant that she wouldn’t stand by idly while they attacked her, her brilliant team, or the esteemed university. She asserted her resolve to defend her reputation legally, already having enlisted a top-tier defamation law firm ready to pounce at any misrepresentations by the Post.
Defending her past coaching staff, Mulkey claimed that Babb lured them deceitfully into conversations under a false premise that she had conceded to his interview request. Despite the perceived press betrayal, these coaches reacted with disappointment and a palpable sense of being misled.
Mulkey further alleged that former players had been recruited by the Post to provide anonymous damning statements about her. She accused the paper of exploiting discontent among the former players, to bolster the negative narrative they were building up around her.
This long-serving coach scorned the lack of balance in the media story-telling, lamenting the apparent disregard shown to her four decades of positive contributions. In what seemed like an indictment of the entire industry, she argued that sensational reporting is eroding the public trust in journalists. She condemned these tactics as hatchet jobs that have outlived their welcome, stating that people were simply weary of such journalistic presumptions.
