• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

The Brian Kelly ‘Hit Job’ Kim Mulkey Ripped Is Barely About Brian Kelly at All

  • Mulkey claimed that ‘The Washington Post’ wrote a ‘hit job’ on LSU’s football coach.
  • In reality, the article used Kelly’s salary to highlight inequities around Baton Rouge.
Ken Ruinard / staff-USA TODAY NETWORK (Syndication: The Greenville News)

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey became the main character of March Madness yet again, briefly taking over the spotlight this weekend to complain about a forthcoming Washington Post story. In a press conference Saturday, Mulkey called the still-unpublished story a “hit piece” and complained that the writer had contacted her former players and coaches and given her a two-day window for comment during the first week of March Madness.

She said an old story about LSU’s football coach was why she wouldn’t answer his questions.

“I told this reporter two years ago that I didn’t appreciate the hit job he wrote on Brian Kelly, and that’s why I wasn’t going to do an interview with him,” Mulkey said.

The reporter, Kent Babb, wrote a 2022 story for the Post headlined “In Baton Rouge, there’s a $100 million football coach and everyone else.” The piece describes the socioeconomic factors at play in Baton Rouge, including the low pay for others at the university. The article details how the stadium sits in a lower-income, largely Black neighborhood. While Kelly makes $24,657 per day, the median household income of people living in the district near the stadium is $24,865 per year, according to the story.

The story includes a handful of other mentions of Kelly, like when he met the central character, a poorly paid graduate student and university employee, and his cringe-worthy attempt at a Southern accent. Babb did not run a hit piece on Kelly, but rather used his salary to frame a story about socioeconomic inequality in Louisiana. The story could’ve been written about whoever was the football coach.

Babb has confirmed he is writing a piece on Mulkey, but he has not commented publicly other than a Saturday tweet linking to the Kelly story with “Hit piece?”

Mulkey’s defensive stance raises questions about what she’s anticipating in the upcoming story. If the Post gave the coach more than a dozen questions, as she claimed in the press conference, she likely has a sense of what’s included in the story.

Mulkey has long clashed with perceived enemies. She was suspended in the 2013 NCAA tournament for comments about officials and suggested in ’21 that the tournament drop COVID-19 testing.

She’s also had a strained relationship with some of her former players: The coach was silent about the extended detention of her former player Brittney Griner, who once said Mulkey discouraged the team from discussing their sexuality.

“I’ve hired the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue The Washington Post if they publish a false story about me,” Mulkey said over the weekend. LSU officials could not specify which firm Mulkey had hired but told Front Office Sports that Mulkey was paying for her own attorneys.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.

Pitaro: ESPN, MLB Making Progress on New Deal Talks

The network and league ended their deal earlier this year.
Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley Says TNT Sports ‘Just Sucks.’ Its CEO Doesn’t Mind

Barkley recently criticized TNT’s handling of “Inside the NBA.”
Apr 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Rayan Rupert (21) shoots a jump shot during the second half against Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) at Moda Center.

Trail Blazers Sale and Ownership Group Finalized, Now Awaiting NBA Approval

Dundon’s ownership group also includes the founders of Panda Express.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley Says She Would Have Left South Carolina for Knicks

Staley says she would have made the NBA leap “for women.”
Andy Reid
August 21, 2025

Andy Reid Office Shooting Went Unreported for a Year

Reid was inside at the time but wasn’t injured.
Inter Miami bench
August 21, 2025

Inter Miami Post-Red Card Phone Coaching May Have Been Legal

Javier Mascherano appeared to continue coaching through a call from the stands.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
August 1, 2025

Belichick Bump Creating Record UNC Ticket Prices

The cost of seeing the NFL legend’s college coaching debut is soaring.
July 28, 2025

Deion Sanders Had Bladder Removed Due to Cancer, Is Ready for Season

Sanders had his bladder removed in May.
July 28, 2025

Bulls Extend Billy Donovan After Rejecting Knicks Advances

The Bulls finished 39–43 for the second straight season.
Mike Brown
July 2, 2025

Knicks Land on Mike Brown After Monthlong Coach Search: Reports

New York still owes Tom Thibodeau $30 million.