LSU coach Kim Mulkey has recently made headlines for lashing out at The Washington Post and threatening legal action against the publication. Mulkey accused the paper of pursuing a ‘hit piece’ about her for the past two years, claiming that a reporter from The Washington Post, Kent Babb, had given her a tight deadline to respond to a series of questions just before the defending national champion Tigers were set to play in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
In her statement, Mulkey expressed her frustration, stating, ‘The lengths he has gone to try to put a hit piece together. After two years of trying to get me to sit with him for an interview, he contacts 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 scheduled 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 going to work, buddy.’
Babb, the journalist in question, confirmed that he is indeed working on a profile of Mulkey but declined to provide further comment. The Washington Post also chose not to comment on the matter.
It’s worth noting that Kent Babb has an extensive career at The Washington Post, spanning 14 years, during which his features have been recognized as the best in the nation by The Associated Press Sports Editors on three occasions. Additionally, Babb is the author of two books: ‘Across the River: Life, Death, and Football in an American City,’ and ‘Not A Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson.’
Kim Mulkey, on the other hand, is currently in her third season at LSU, having secured a 10-year, $36 million extension after claiming her fourth national title as a coach last season. Prior to her time at LSU, Mulkey achieved great success at Baylor, where she won three national titles, as well as during her time as a player at Louisiana Tech, where she secured two national titles.
