Following criticism from LSU coach Kim Mulkey, the Los Angeles Times made alterations to a story on their website.

Mulkey expressed her disapproval of a column published before the NCAA women’s tournament game between UCLA and LSU. She addressed it during her postgame press conference following LSU’s victory over UCLA at MVP Arena.

The column depicted the game as a clash between good (UCLA) and evil (LSU), labeling the Bruins as “milk and cookies” while characterizing the Tigers as the sport’s “dirty debutants.”

Initially, this column had not garnered national attention until Mulkey brought it up in her press conference. When asked if the negative publicity surrounding another story—a profile on her in the Washington Post, which Mulkey had criticized prior to its publication—had motivated her team, she responded by criticizing the L.A. Times article.

Regarding the Los Angeles Times column. pic.twitter.com/kzZThRTigt

— Cori Close (@CoachCoriClose) March 30, 2024

She expressed, “There were aspects of this commentary that should offend you as women. It was incredibly sexist, and the writers don’t even realize it. The portrayal of the game as good versus evil today? Evil? Referring to us as ‘dirty debutants’? Take out your phone right now and Google ‘dirty debutants’ and see what comes up. Dirty debutants? Seriously?”

“I refuse to stand by while 18-21-year-old kids are spoken about in such a manner. It was sexist even for the reporter to label UCLA as ‘milk and cookies.’ Now, if you ladies want to remain silent, you can, but I’m nearing the end of my career, and I won’t tolerate sexism. And if you can’t see that this is sexism, then you’re denying it.”

“How dare anyone attack young individuals like that. You don’t have to appreciate our style of play or our trash-talking. We’re fine with that. But I cannot sit here as a mother, grandmother, and mentor to young people and allow someone to say that. Because that, gentlemen, is wrong. I may not know exactly what ‘dirty debutants’ means, but when I looked it up, I was appalled. And part of this is about growing the game. How many of you have been to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and seen our games? How many of you have attended an SEC game when we played on the road? If you want to talk about growing the game, go experience our crowds.”

“I don’t understand. I’m sorry, I come from a different time. But I recognize sexism when I encounter it, and I read it. That was disgraceful.”

Mulkey’s reaction prompted the Times to make a concession. They eliminated the “dirty debutants” paragraph and included the following in the freshly amended story:

“Update: 10:10 p.m., March 30, 2024.A previous version of this commentary did not meet the Times’ editorial standards. It’s been updated.

LSU’s Kim Mulkey reacts to Washington Post, LA Times articles ahead of Elite Eight

Kim Mulkey stated on Sunday that she has not read the Washington Post’s profile of her, nor has she received an apology from the LA Times regarding the column it published about her team on Friday.

Previously, Mulkey had threatened legal action against the Post if it published a “false story” about her. The piece was published on Saturday, preceding LSU’s Sweet 16 win over UCLA, a week after Mulkey addressed it in a passionate preamble to a news conference.

“I haven’t read that trash,” Mulkey remarked regarding the profile. “I’m not going to read it. That’s why I hired lawyers. The lawyers will review it, and when this season is over, they’ll give me a call and say, ‘This is our next step.’ I’m not reading that stuff.”

Following the victory over UCLA, Mulkey criticized the LA Times in her postgame news conference. She expressed displeasure with a column that referred to the Tigers as “dirty debutantes” and framed the LSU-UCLA game as a battle of “sweethearts” and “villains.”

Subsequently, the LA Times removed the phrase “dirty debutantes” from the column, acknowledging that the wording did not meet its editorial standards.

Mulkey stated, “Personally, no one has reached out to me, nor do I require that. I don’t need all that. I just like to recognize when I feel something was done inappropriately to young people that I get to coach.”

UCLA coach Cori Close apologized on Saturday for sharing the column on X/Twitter, acknowledging her mistake in only reading the headline and not the contents of the opinion piece.

Mulkey mentioned that she did not directly speak to Close about the column but read her apology for sharing it.

Regarding social media, Mulkey admitted, “Guys, I don’t know social media. I don’t read newspaper articles unless somebody gives it to me. I was actually in bed sleeping with my grandson, and my assistant sent this Cori Close apology. I didn’t even understand what that was about. So, they had to explain that she re-tweeted something. Is that the right word? Because I guess she re-tweeted that article. So, I read it.”

LSU, ranked No. 3, is set to face No. 1 Iowa at 6:15 p.m. Monday in the Elite 8, with the game broadcast on ESPN. The winner will advance to the Final Four.