Screenshot / YouTube New York Post Sports, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

The LSU women’s basketball team, known for its aggressive play style, reflects the temperament of its coach, Kim Mulkey, who launched a vigorous offensive Saturday addressing rumors from The Washington Post.

“I wouldn’t normally discuss media rumors about me, but I felt the need to publicly address what exactly this reporter for The Washington Post has been doing the past several years,” Mulkey stated during a news conference, as reported by the New York Post.

Accusing The Washington Post of preparing a “hit piece,” Mulkey, who guided the Tigers back to the NCAA tournament, asserted that the reporter had been researching the article for two years, contacting numerous former coaches and players.

“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,” Mulkey declared. “Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable but I am, and I’ll do it.”

Mulkey contended that the Post was seeking negative angles, alleging, “The Washington Post has called former disgruntled players to get negative quotes to include in their story.”

“This is exactly why people don’t trust journalists and the media anymore,” Mulkey lamented, describing the situation as a dismal reflection of journalism. “It’s these kinds of sleazy tactics and hatchet jobs that people are just tired of.”

“And the lengths he has gone to try and put a hit piece together. This reporter has been working on a story about me for two years,” she remarked in her Saturday comments, a day after her team’s victory in the first round of the NCAA championship tournament.

“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’re scheduled to tip-off. Are you kidding me?” she said.

Describing the reporter's tactics as deceptive, Mulkey vowed not to be swayed. “It ain’t gonna work, buddy,” she declared.

Responding to questions about her team's performance against Middle Tennessee State Tigers, Mulkey dismissed any notion of distraction. “No. Listen, we’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not.”

While Washington Post journalist Kent Babb confirmed to The Associated Press his ongoing work on a profile of Mulkey, both he and the Post have refrained from further comment.