LSU Beat Reporter Accuses OutKick of ‘Pushing a Narrative’ About Team Protesting the National Anthem
Mary Altaffer/AP
LSU reporter Chessa Bouche accused OutKick of “pushing a narrative” with its coverage of the women’s basketball team missing the national anthem.
Despite the team playing in the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all-time against Iowa, much of the talk from that Elite Eight matchup has been about pre-game controversy. While Iowa was present during the anthem, the Lady Tigers were nowhere to be found. In fact, the team left the floor before it began.
OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske posted the video online, sparking outrage toward the team. Some accused the players and coach Kim Mulkey of being “woke” and claimed the team was making some kind of political statement.
That outrage even made its way to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) who called for colleges to require athletes be present for the anthem in the future.
Mulkey later explained how the team simply went back to the locker room as part of its pregame routine. She didn’t even know the anthem was being played. Bouche also attempted to explain online that neither the women’s basketball team nor the football team are present for the anthem — and it’s been that way for years.
On Wednesday, Bouche posted a more detailed statement slamming OutKick for the coverage.
“LSU Women’s Basketball did not “walk out” during the national anthem (I was there) during the Elite 8,” she said. “OutKick a ‘National Media’ outlet is pushing a narrative that LSU is protesting the anthem. That’s not true. LSU follows a pregame routine that includes leaving the court at the 12 minute mark. What most people don’t understand is that different venues & TV slots impact when the national anthem is played. So it’s not always the same time.”
Just wanted to make sure I was CRYSTAL CLEAR for y’all.#LSU pic.twitter.com/nNHjrYGVgd
— Chessa Bouche (@chessabouche) April 3, 2024
Bouche then questioned the outlet for not having the same criticism for the University of Connecticut or the University of Southern California. In their game — which came right after Iowa-LSU — neither team was on the court for the anthem.
“Moreover, it’s a common practice in college sports that teams are in the locker room during the anthem. MULTIPLE schools do this. Same is true for LSU football.”
An OutKick spokesperson called Bouche’s accusation “inaccurate.”
“It is false to assert OutKick pushed a narrative that LSU was protesting the national anthem,” the spokesperson told Mediaite. “We reported what was taking place on the court prior to the game and then asked LSU coach Kim Mulkey about it after the game. We reported her comments explaining why her team was not on the court. This is an inaccurate accusation as we only reported the facts.”
