- The Washington Times - Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Louisiana’s governor is unhappy with the LSU women’s basketball team — and not because they were eliminated Monday from the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers were not out on the floor for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before their highly-anticipated showdown with the Iowa Hawkeyes, to the notice of many on social media and Gov. Jeff Landry.

In a post Tuesday on X, Mr. Landry called that absence disrespectful and called for mandatory attendance at pre-game national anthem performances.

“It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill,” he wrote.

The governor said his mother “coached women’s high school basketball” and stated his high regard for LSU coach Kim Mulkey
“However, above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!” he wrote.

Although the Iowa players were on the floor for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Ms. Mulkey said after the game that her team’s absence was unintentional and not a boycott of the sort that Colin Kaepernick made popular in the late-10s.


SEE ALSO: LSU skips national anthem before clash with Iowa; coach claims normal absence


“Honestly I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” she said. “We kinda have a routine where we are on the floor, and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. We just come in, and we do our pre-game stuff.”

• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.

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