Kim Mulkey declares battle over rumored Washington Post 'hit piece'

As the LSU Tigers are preparing to take on Middle Tennessee in the second round of the women's March Madness tournament, head coach Kim Mulkey is dealing with distractions. Multiple reporters have hinted that they've heard of a piece on the head coach coming out from the Washington Post soon, with little indication as to what, exactly, is within.

Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated both noted it, with Duncan saying the Post has been on the story, "for a while now." There hasn't been any indication as to what, exactly, is in the article, but the implication from those who are aware of it seems to be that it paints Mulkey and/or the school in a negative light.

Kim Mulkey finds the timing of the article's publication suspicious

Mulkey, speaking in a press conference, seemed to imply that the article's timing was unfair. Though she admits the reporter has asked for her time for two years, she finds the recent deadline she gave him for quotes (Thursday) was unreasonable, given the team's ongoing participation in the tournament.

Here's the full quote, per Awful Announcing and Bryce Koon of 247Sports:

"This reporter has been working on a story about me for two years,” Mulkey said. “After two years of trying to get me to sit with him for an interview, he contacts LSU on Tuesday, as we were getting ready for the first round game of this tournament, with more than a dozen questions, demanding a response by Thursday, right before we were scheduled to tip-off. Are you kidding me?"

She called it a "ridiculous deadline," and said it was an attempt to prevent her from commenting. "It ain't gonna work, buddy," she said.

Mulkey said the reason she wasn't going to cooperate was because she didn't appreciate the "hit job" he wrote on Brian Kelly. It is, presumably, this article from Kent Babb. He seemed to confirm that by sharing the link to the article on his social media Saturday, saying" Hit piece?"

Kim Mulkey preemptively threatens defamation suit

Mulkey, even before the article was published, threatened a battle with the Post, saying she has already hired the, "best defamation law firm" in the country.

She minced no words giving her opinion on the Post's article before it goes up:

“They’re trying to sell newspapers and feed the click machine. This is exactly why people don’t trust journalists and the media anymore. It’s these kinds of sleazy tactics and hatchet jobs that people are just tired of. I’m fed up, and I’m not gonna let the Washington Post attack this university, this awesome team of young women I have or me without a fight. I’ve hired the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue the Washington Post if they publish a false story about me. Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable. But I am, and I’ll do it. That’s all I’m gonna say about this right now. And now, I’m going to get back to talking about my basketball team and winning this game tomorrow.”

Threatening a lawsuit is quite the tactic, but, "if they publish a false story about me," is quite the hedge. It really just says this to Babb and the Post: If you send a shot, it better come correct.

Until we see Babb's article, it's hard to get the full picture and understand exactly what to make of the emphatic statement from Mulkey on Saturday. The timing will be interesting to watch, too. Did Mulkey make a bold enough statement to keep it from coming out as the Tigers look to press on in the tournament and win another title, their second in three years?