Kim Mulkey, Brittney Griner’s coach, won’t comment on her arrest in Russia

Since February, Brittney Griner has been unlawfully jailed in Russia.

And in the 222 days since the WNBA superstar was arrested at a Moscow airport, her Hall of Fame college coach has declined to publicly back her.

Kim Mulkey, the former head coach of the Baylor women’s basketball team and current head coach of the LSU Tigers, has avoided speaking about Griner’s issue since since the Phoenix Mercury star was arrested for bringing hashish oil into the country in her luggage.

Griner behind jail in Russia.

Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool/AP Photo

After Griner was sentenced to nine years in jail, Insider made multiple attempts to reach Mulkey via LSU women’s basketball for comment. However, after multiple phone and email attempts, it became apparent that the three-time national champion coach had no intention of commenting on a player who led her team to one of those NCAA titles.

On Monday, Mulkey addressed the microphone prior to the Tigers’ first preseason session. The Lafayette Daily Advertiser’s Cory Diaz inquired about her thoughts on the Griner incident, noting that he “hasn’t seen anything” from her former star player’s coach.

“And you will not,” Mulkey said, interrupting him.

Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) on Twitter

September 26, 2022

Upon learning of their college coach’s abrupt response, a number of Mulkey’s former Baylor players, including Queen Egbo and Chloe Jackson, came out. Since then, other women’s basketball stars have gone to social media to emphasize the significance of selecting college coaches carefully.

A spokeswoman for the LSU women’s basketball team directed Insider to a segment of a 15-minute radio interview with the head coach from late June when reached for comment following Mulkey’s press conference and the subsequent outrage. In the footage, Mulkey states, “I keep up” with Griner’s situation but will not “comment publicly” since “that is a personal matter.”

“You simply want everyone to return home safely,” remarked Mulkey. “I offer up prayers for Brittney. I want her to return home safely. I believe there are a great number of people advocating for her, and those of us who don’t necessarily talk publicly about it are certainly praying for her.”

Mulkey (right) and Griner at a press conference in 2013.

AP Image by Tony Gutierrez

When contacted to comment on Griner’s August sentencing, LSU women’s basketball representatives did not provide Insider with the August interview. Baylor women’s basketball told Insider at the time, “we continue to pray for her continued strength and safety during her detention” and “are hopeful that she will once again step foot on US soil.”

Monday, about the same time Mulkey assured supporters they “won’t” hear from her regarding Griner, current Baylor head coach Nicki Collen spent five minutes explaining the eight-time WNBA All-situation Star’s and what she’s meant to the team Collen currently directs.

The former Atlanta Dream coach stated, “Those who have been in my presence know that I am quite emotional.” “BG is initially a human being. And I believe this to be a matter of human rights.

She subsequently said, “I see her as a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter, and an incredible advocate for the game of basketball.” She established Baylor as a household name.

—Matt Lively (@mattblively)

September 26, 2022

During her four years playing for Mulkey in Waco, Texas, Griner and her fiery head coach had a difficult relationship. The 6-foot-9 center, who is an out lesbian, clashed with Mulkey over disclosing her sexual orientation while attending Baylor, a renowned institution that deemed “homosexual activities” a serious felony until 2015.

As soon as she left school for the WNBA, Griner went public with her complaints. In a 2013 bombshell story written by then-ESPN reporter Kate Fagan, Griner explained that Mulkey’s decision to discourage her star from discussing her sexuality “was a recruiting thing” because “the coaches thought that if it appeared that they condoned it, people wouldn’t let their kids play for Baylor.”

In a May 2021 interview on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Fagan, now a journalist for Dan Le Batard’s Meadowlark Media, said that Mulkey attempted to get her dismissed from her position at ESPN for publishing the story. Fagan went so far as to describe Mulkey as one of the most terrifying athletes.

Mulkey during her first season as the LSU Tigers’ head coach.

AP Photo/Derick Hingle

“Kim Mulkey is my dark horse for the most dangerous person in sports,” Fagan remarked. “She may not even be the underdog.

“She may very well be the most terrifying person in sports.”