Kim Mulkey threatened legal action against the Washington Post back in March and apparently got the publication to back off of its initial story, which also involved Angel Reese. Kent Babb, the author, did not publish a few different components to the profile that were previously discussed with the staff at LSU.
All of the juicy details have been uncovered
Cory Diaz of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser utilized an open records request to learn more about what did not make it to print. He discovered communications between Babb and LSU’s Sports Information Director, Grant Kauvar. They highlighted suspicions of a much larger cultural issue inside the organization.
For those who do not know the backstory, here’s a short synopsis:
Kim Mulkey is the head women’s basketball coach at LSU.
- She is a rather controversial figure within the sport because of her abrasive, hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to both basketball and off-court activities. She doesn’t mince her words.
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- She also won four national championships.
- Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde teased “some buzz about a big Washington Post story” about Mulkey right before the start of Women’s March Madness.
Mulkey got ahead of the issue and publicly ripped Babb to shreds at a press conference.
- She called it a “hit piece.”
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- She threatened to sue for defamation.
- Mulkey doubled down and slammed Babb, again, for being a “sleazy reporter.”
What did the Washington Post omit?
Emails obtained by The Daily Advertiser provide insight on what was not reported. They date back 30 days prior to Mulkey’s press conference. Babb went back and forth with Kauvar during that period of time. Many of the discussed during their exchanges did not end up in the article.
A spokesperson for the Washington Post also told Diaz that it “stands by Kent Babb and his reporting,” for whatever that is worth. The statement did not expand further on what exactly the publication backs.
Angel Reese allegedly got in a fight.
Babb emailed Kauvar on March 19 with a “heads up” on a few different topics. One such incident took place in 2022.
Reese, in her first year with the Tigers, allegedly got in a fight with unnamed teammates in front of recruits. Mulkey is said to have called her players into a meeting after the spat and required them to leave their phones, turned off, in another room.
