LSU's Kim Mulkey Clarifies Angel Reese's Suspension Somewhat, But Still Doesn't Get It

BATON ROUGE, La. - LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey hinted at the reason Monday why she suspended superstar forward Angel Reese last week.

And it apparently wasn't because of poor grades, which has been a popular rumor on social media.

It was because of "locker room issues," Mulkey intimated after LSU beat Texas Southern, 106-47, Monday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

"You always have to deal with locker room issues," Mulkey said. "That's just part of coaching. That's what coaches do. Sometimes, y'all know about them, and sometimes you don't. And sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know."

Reese's grades may need improvement, but her main issue is lackadaisical practice and play, which OutKick reported last week in the following story:

Mulkey had been asked a general question about building chemistry on a team. But she obviously proceeded to touch on Reese and the media questions about her she has not answered over the last week.

LSU Coach Vows To Protect Her Players

"I'm going to protect my players always," Mulkey said. "They are more important. It's like a family. If you do some discipline of your own children, do you think we're entitled to know that? That's a family in that locker room."

Kim Mulkey won the national championship at LSU last season in just her second year at LSU. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Where Mulkey is wrong here, though, is that most families do not have one of the world's most famous woman athletes as a member, as Angel Reese is.

And Mulkey is the one acting entitled in not answering the most basic questions about Reese's suspension. Coaches all over the world speak more and answer questions about their star athletes in similar situations. But Mulkey feels she is entitled not to do so.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, for example, was extremely tight with injury information when he was the Saints' coach. Unless quarterback Drew Brees got hurt. Payton became much more forthcoming because he knew - or was told - of the huge interest from fans in Brees. Reese is very much the same to LSU and the women's basketball world as Brees was to to the Saints and the NFL world.

Kim Mulkey Has Not Said Angel Reese Is Suspended, But She Is

Mulkey has never used the word "suspension" to describe Reese's absence. And she has had a problem with OutKick and other outlets using that word. But OutKick is not going to wait for a coach to say it's OK to use what is the accurate word for Reese's situation.

If a player is not with the team like Reese but remains on the roster like Reese, but is not hurt, or is not on a leave of absence for a funeral or a personal problem, and Reese is not, then that player is suspended. Period.

"It doesn't really matter what I say to you guys, you're going to write and interpret things the way you want to," Mulkey said. And she has that exactly right.

The fact that some in the media have not interpreted things the way Mulkey wants them interpreted has upset her. And that's too bad.

"Some of you wrote some things that I never said," Mulkey said. Obviously, she is talking about the use of the word "suspension."

Suspension is a word coaches, from time to time, like to avoid because of its connotations. Such as, the player has done something wrong. Well, the connotations are out there, so Mulkey might as well use the word "suspension." And obviously Reese is not missing from the team because she did something right.

Former LSU football coach Les Miles refused to say LSU suspended star tailback Jeremy Hill for the 2013 season opener because of an arrest. After the game, Miles said Hill was "withheld from play," which is a synonym of suspended. And he was mocked by multiple media outlets at the time.

Kim Mulkey Makes Demand: 'Just Write What I Tell You'

"I never used some of the words that y'all wrote," Mulkey said. But, interestingly, she never said on this night that Reese was not suspended either.

"You interpreted it the way you wanted to," she said. "Just write what I tell you."

Wow! Just write what you tell us. Really?

I'm sorry, are we in Russia?

What that quote says is this. Mulkey has been coaching for four decades, but she is obviously very accustomed to writers often writing and interpreting things the way she wants. This often happens with a lot of women's sports. They don't have as much media coverage, and therefore they don't have as much intense and critical media coverage. Coaches in men's sports tend to not have it that easy. Even Nick Saban, who constantly drew questions about not suspending Jermaine Burton last year. And he routinely answered them.

LSU Women's Coach Rules As If She's In Ruston

I'll quote you exactly, Coach Mulkey, but that's not what you're talking about. We will interpret as we interpret, based on our knowledge - not just yours. Interpreting facts our way and not writing what one imperial ruler says to write it is one of the great things about being an American. Kim has forgotten that.

KIM MULKEY: 'THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW'

"Those kids are like my children," she continued. "And I'm not going to tell you what you don't need to know. And that's just the way I address things."

Mulkey was asked if she had decided if Reese will make the trip to the Cayman Islands for LSU's next two games at the Cayman Island Classic on Friday and Saturday.

"If I have, I wouldn't tell you," she said. "You're not entitled to that information. OK?"

Angel Reese's Situation Could Be Aided By More Clarity

Asked if Reese is practicing while not playing games, she said, "I'll say it again. Angel was not in uniform tonight. Angel is a part of this basketball team. And Angel will be back sooner than later."

Reese has made progress. On Friday, Mulkey said, "We hope to see her sooner than later."

Mulkey, meanwhile, is too entitled at the moment to make any progress in her present situation. It is a situation new to her. She won three national championships while Baylor's coach with several high profile players.

But she has never had a player close to the international profile of an Angel Reese, and that includes Brittney Griner at Baylor. And Kim Mulkey needs to realize that and up her game. Mulkey has elevated LSU women's basketball to an iconic level that is nearing that of LSU football in some circles. Only problem is she's still acting in many circles like she's Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore in Ruston.

What Mulkey, 61, doesn't realize, partly because she does not pay attention to social media, is that if she explained the suspension of Angel Reese just a little bit more, she could clear it up somewhat, dispel the rumors on social media, and make life easier for one of her "children."

That's Media Relations 101.