Brian Kelly responds to Louisiana governor calling for new national anthem protocols
LSU Tigers football coach Brian Kelly has now weighed in on the national anthem controversy and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry calling for new national anthem protocols, stemming from the LSU women’s basketball team being in the locker room for the anthem prior to playing Iowa.
Shortly following the game, Landry publicly called out Kim Mulkey and LSU for still being in the locker room during the national anthem. Since then, he’s urged for a push to standardize procedures during the national anthem.
“I saw it and clearly I think everybody has had their comments about it,” Brian Kelly said. “And I know we made a statement. Scott Woodward has made a statement about it as well. Look, I think that our football players would echo this, is that if at any time we’re told to be out there, we’re going to be wherever we’re told to be, and that’s the bottom line.”
Ultimately, if there were to be a change that forced players onto the field for the national anthem, it would be a change in routine for Kelly, who has rarely been on the field for it during his career.
“If our administration wants us out there for the national anthem, we’re going to stand proud for the national anthem. It’s just the way that it has been scripted, and I’ve been doing it for 33 years, I can on my hand tell you how many times I’ve been out for the national anthem in 33 years,” Kelly said.
“That’s not to say that we’re against what the governor is saying. We understand where the governor is coming from. We’ll re-look at the policies and I think I stand by what Scott has said. We’ll look at everything.”
Kelly then pointed to when LSU hosted Army last season, using it as an example of the program and fans showing how patriotic they are.
“But I look back at the Army game and how proud we were of that moment to have Army in our stadium and what we did to that stadium to really show our patriotic backing. So, hopefully, we’ll be able to get past this pretty soon.
For her part, following the initial incident, Kim Mulkey insisted that the team didn’t miss the anthem intentionally.
“Honestly, I don’t even know when the Anthem was played,” Mulkey said. “We kind of have a routine where we are on the floor and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. We just — I don’t know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry — listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”
LSU AD Scott Woodward responds to national anthem criticism from Louisiana governor
Following criticism from Governor Jeff Landry, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward responded by emphasizing the school’s patriotism and saying LSU will look at its processes.
“We have reviewed Governor Landry’s letter on the national anthem,” Woodward said. “At LSU we have and will always be dedicated to the flag, the anthem and the country. We consistently look at all our processes and will do so again. As Louisiana’s flagship university, LSU always strives to represent the higher ideals and values of our students, our state and our country.”