Gov. Landry, maybe take off the LSU shirt the next time you want to trash the Tigers on Fox News.
Jeff Landry made his national TV appearance two days after the Tigers fell to Iowa in an Elite Eight matchup. It was a difficult loss for LSU, but the game was a huge win for women’s sports, drawing over 12 million viewers.
Of course, though, that’s not what the governor focused on. Instead, he decided to subject these young women to more criticism by questioning their patriotism because they weren’t on the court during the national anthem.
READ MORE: Jeff Landry proposes student athletes should be present for national anthem or ‘risk scholarships’
“The national anthem is as much a part of American sports as is the actual game being played,” Landry said. “The fact that there is not a policy that says ‘listen these players are gonna be out there and respect the flag and respect those that go out there and protect us’ is really disappointing,” the governor continued.
It’s the normal pre-game ritual of the team to still be in the locker room during the anthem. And it’s the same for many teams at LSU and beyond, including the Army football team, which remained in the locker room during the anthem while playing the Tigers this fall.
Is Landry suggesting the Army players are unpatriotic simply because they spend the moments before the game preparing?
Well, maybe he is, because the governor has doubled down on this pointless tirade. In a letter (reported by the Louisiana Illuminator) to the chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, he urged for a policy that would mandate athletes be present for the anthem or risk their scholarships.
Landry also lamented the focus on this issue.
“The spotlight during the Elite Eight tournament should have been on how well our team played and fought to the end,” Landry wrote. “Instead, our team was recognized for being absent during the National Anthem.”
Whose fault is that, governor? Maybe that’s because of those like yourself who have ignored the fact that this is standard practice and amplified these baseless complaints against the team.
This past week of discourse is the definition of manufactured outrage. There’s nothing to be mad about here. The issue didn’t cross the mind of head coach Kim Mulkey before it was posed to her.
“Honestly I don’t even know when the anthem was played. We kind of have a routine where we are on the floor, and they come off at the 12-minute mark,” Mulkey said after the game. “That’s nothing intentionally done,” she said of not being on the floor during the anthem.
In response to Landry, LSU’s leaders have emphasized the university’s patriotism, but they’ve avoided criticizing the governor for the nasty light he has put the school’s players under.
Athletic Director Scott Woodward said LSU is “dedicated to the flag, the anthem and the country.” He also said, “We consistently look at all our processes and will do so again.”
Head football coach Brian Kelly said he could count on one hand how many times he’s been on the field during the national anthem in 33 years of coaching, but “if our administration wants us out there for the national anthem, we’re going to stand proud for the national anthem.”
On the day of Landry’s Fox interview, LSU President William F. Tate IV posted on X (Twitter) that he had received many calls. He didn’t mention the governor or the manufactured controversy directly. Tate said he was proud of the team, which he said “desire[s] deeply to honor and respect our country with their best.”
Please, LSU leaders, do not bend to the will of this governor.
Why should LSU’s teams change their routines simply to appease a new governor’s personal political interests?
This campaign by Landry reads like an attempt to earn brownie points with his conservative friends across the country. His call to action is nothing more than the new kid in school trying to prove himself to the cool kids.
The women’s basketball team had already been scrutinized relentlessly before this. Angel Reese recounted tearfully after the team’s loss to Iowa the threats and disgusting behavior she has dealt with since she became a national champion last year.
Landry is putting these women — who represent LSU nationally, and do it well — through more harm, just so he can score some culture war points.
