BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry took to social media on Tuesday to weigh in on No. 3-seed LSU's absence from the court during the playing of the national anthem prior to the opening tipoff of the Tiger's NCAA Tournament matchup with Iowa the night before.
In fact, the defending national champions (31-6) were one of three teams playing in the Elite Eight round on Monday that were not present for the anthem.
But that did not stop Landry from taking aim at third-year Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey.
"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, formerly known as Twitter. "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 concluded.
Following LSU's 94-87 loss to top-seed Iowa (33-4) in Albany, N.Y., Mulkey responded to questions regarding the team's absence for the anthem.
"Honestly, I don't even know when the anthem was played," she told reporters during the post-game press conference. "We kind of a routine where we're on the floor and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don't know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff.
"I'm sorry," Mulkey continued. "Listen, that's nothing intentionally done."
Since then, LSU issued a statement claiming the team's absence from the anthem was nothing new and that the team has been doing it for years due to pre-game prep.
The statement reads:
"Our basketball programs have not been on the court for the anthem for the last several seasons. Usually, the anthem is played 12 minutes before the game when the team is in the locker room doing final preparations."
Landry's remarks and the Hawkeyes win were not the only hits Mulkey and her Tigers have taken as of late.
A Washington Post article that Mulkey called a "hit piece" prior to its publication and a controversial column written by Los Angeles Times columnist Ben Bolch also made headlines over the past week.
LSU defeated Iowa last year for the Tigers first-ever basketball national championship.
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