Governor threatens scholarships after LSU women miss anthem at NCAA tournament

Source: The Guardian

Governor threatens scholarships after LSU women miss anthem at NCAA tournament

• Landry hits at LSU women for absence during national anthem
• LSU head coach Kim Mulkey decried as ‘woke’ amid furore

Guardian sport
Wed 3 Apr 2024 01.04 BST
Last modified on Wed 3 Apr 2024 22.18 BST

Louisiana’s Republican governor has called for the scholarships of college athletes who are not present for the national anthem before games to be revoked. His announcement came after the LSU women’s basketball team were absent during the pre-game ceremonies on Monday night ahead of their eagerly anticipated NCAA Tournament contest with Iowa.

Jeff Landry, the former state attorney general backed by Donald Trump whose victory in October’s gubernatorial primary denoted a hard-right shift in Louisiana’s politics, took to social media on Tuesday to criticize the Tigers and their head coach, Kim Mulkey, for not being on the court when the Star-Spangled Banner was played.

“My mother coached women’s high school basketball during the height of desegregation, no one has a greater respect for the sport and for Coach Mulkey,” Landry posted on X. “However, above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!

“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.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/apr/02/kim-mulkey-woke-lousiana-governor-anthem