Louisiana State University football coach Brian Kelly said he and his team would “stand with pride” if school administrators mandated the national anthem. Still, he also justified the school’s past practices of not doing so.
Last week, the LSU women’s basketball team sparked a political firestorm by walking off the court during the national anthem before losing to Iowa State and its star Caitlin Clark in an Elite Eight matchup.
LSU’s bombastic women’s coach, Kim Mulkey, blew off criticism of her team for not standing during the national anthem, using the excuse that LSU’s team does not stand during the national anthem. So last Monday’s game was not unusual in that regard.
The school also said most teams will not remain on the court or field during the national anthem. Instead, they go into their respective locker rooms and begin their pregame routines.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vought-Hemingway Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
But the outrage Mulkey sparked didn’t sit well with Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, who led calls for LSU to change its anti-anthem practices and require all teams to stand. .
Fox News reported that LSU men’s coach Kelly responded by saying he would stand for the national anthem if the school told him to do so.
“I saw it. I know everyone has commented on it. I know we released a statement and (LSU athletic director) Scott Woodward issued a statement as well. ” Kelly said…Outside, we go wherever we’re told. That’s the bottom line. If our administration asks us to sing the national anthem, we will proudly stand for it. ”
He went on to say, “It’s just scripted. And I’ve been doing this for 33 years. I can tell you on one hand how many times I’ve been to the national anthem in those 33 years. Governor. I’m not opposed to that opinion.”
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game at Tiger Stadium on November 5, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
“We understand where the governor is coming from. We’re going to reconsider our policies, but I stand by Scott’s statement. I look back at the Army game and think about our patriotism and As much as we went to the stadium to show our patriotic support, we’re looking back at how proud we were in that moment that Army came to our stadium. Hopefully, we We will get through this very soon,” Kelly concluded.
Governor Landry insisted that standing for the national anthem is as much a part of the game as anything else.
“The national anthem is as much a part of American sports as the actual game being played. And there’s no policy that says, ‘Listen, the players come out and respect the flag, come out and respect us. “The fact that it says ‘respect those who protect us’ is really disrespectful,” he said.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Hustonor truth social @WarnerToddHuston
