Louisiana State University football coach Brian Kelly says that he and his team would “proudly stand” for the national anthem if the school’s administration rules that they have to do so. Still, he also justified the school’s past practice of not doing so.
A political firestorm was kicked up last week when the LSU women’s basketball team walked off the court during the national anthem ahead of their loss to Iowa and its star Caitlin Clark in their Elite Eight matchup.
LSU bombastic women’s coach Kim Mulkey blew off the criticism of her team for not standing for the anthem with the excuse that LSU teams never stand for the anthem. So, last Monday’s game was not unusual in that respect.
The school also stated that most of its teams don’t stay on the court or field when the national anthem is played. Instead, they enter their respective locker rooms to begin their pregame routines.
Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers before their game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 30, 2023, in Oxford, Mississippi. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
However, the outrage Mulkey stirred did not sit right with Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who led calls to have LSU change its anti-anthem practice and require all teams to stand for the national anthem.
Now, Fox News reported that LSU men’s coach Kelly is responding and saying that they will stand for the anthem if the school tells them to do so.
“I saw it. I know everybody has had their comments about it. I know we put out a statement, (LSU athletic director) Scott Woodward put out a statement as well,” Kelly said… “I think our football players would echo this — is that if, at any time, we’re required to be out there, we’ll be wherever we’re told to be. And that’s the bottom line. If our administration wants us out there for the national anthem, we’re going to stand proudly for the national anthem.”
He went on to say, “It’s just the way that it has been scripted. And I’ve been doing this for 33 years. On my hand, I can tell you how many times I’ve been out for the national anthem in 33 years. That’s not to say we’re against what the governor is saying.”
Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game at Tiger Stadium on November 05, 2022, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
“We understand where the governor is coming from. We’ll re-look at the policies, and I stand by what Scott has said. I look back at the Army game and how proud we were of that moment to have Army in our stadium what we did to that stadium to show our patriotism and patriotic backing. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get past this pretty soon,” Kelly concluded.
For his part, Gov. Landry insisted that standing for the anthem is as much a part of the game as anything else.
“The national anthem is as much a part of American sports as is the actual game that’s being played. And the fact that there is not a policy, and it says, ‘Listen, these players are going to be out there and respect the flag and respect those that go out there and protect us, is really disrespectful in and of itself,'” he said.
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