The Bernstein Brief: Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey's Apology Misses The Mark
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Kim Mulkey still doesn't quite get it, even now.
Baylor's women's basketball coach caused a stir at her team's senior night Saturday when she told the crowd that if anyone were to encounter someone who said they didn't feel safe sending their daughter to the embattled school, they should "knock them right in the face." And she doubled down later on at a news conference, complaining that she was "tired of hearing it, tired of people talking about it on a national scale."
"It's over," she said. "It's done. Move on. Find another story to write."
Baylor football players have been accused of more than 50 rapes, with numerous university officials fired in the wake of a private investigation. Multiple civil lawsuits have been filed by victims, the Big 12 has levied financial penalties and the school remains under federal scrutiny for Title IX violations. In other words, it's very far from over.
Mulkey tried to walk back her stupidity Sunday by apologizing first and foremost for her vivid threat, calling it "a poor choice of words" and claiming "I am not a violent person."
The larger issue, however, is both her minimization of the mass-rape scandal and ensuing cover-up and her clear desire to step all over victims in a effort to promote the university's brand. Ask them if it's over and they should move on.
This is exactly the widely held attitude that allowed the scandal to occur in the first place.
The reason nobody should feel safe sending their daughter to Baylor is that Kim Mulkey and too many people like her are still there.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Bernstein and Goff Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
