Lane Kiffin’s Coaching Controversy Epitomizes College Football’s Decline
Lane Kiffin is one of many villains in a sport that's completely lost touch with what made it great in the first place.Lane Kiffin is one of many villains in a sport that's completely lost touch with what made it great in the first place.Allie Beth Stuckey on 'Fox & Friends': Charlie Kirk 'was such an encourager of so many of us'
What made Charlie Kirk such a force to be reckoned with?
That was one of topics up for discussion Monday when BlazeTV's Allie Beth Stuckey joined "Fox & Friends" co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Griff Jenkins before headlining that evening's Turning Point USA tour stop at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
'He really was an anomaly. God just blessed him with amazing work ethic and persistence and energy.'
"He was so generous with his time," the "Relatable" host recalled, noting that the slain activist miraculously managed to balance traveling nonstop, raising a young family, scaling TPUSA into a national juggernaut, and igniting a movement that reached millions — all while still making time for others:
He could've been doing a million other very important things, but he would take the time every day to text his friends, to text his colleagues, to send Bible verses, to say, "Hey, keep going," "I saw this article," or, "I saw you talk about this topic. You did such a good job."
He was such a champion, such an encourager of so many of us, and that is going to continue to bless me for the rest of my life.
'Keep slugging'
Jenkins asked Stuckey what she anticipated seeing at the Baton Rouge TPUSA event, especially in the wake of LSU's Charlie Kirk tribute back in September.
"It makes me think of when we heard Charlie's widow, Erika, talk about, 'You have no idea what you've done,' and you hear Andrew Kolvet, Charlie's producer, talk about that he hopes that the TPUSA events are going to be bigger than ever before. Is that what you anticipate seeing tonight?" Jenkins asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Stuckey said.
And her instincts were spot-on.
The sold-out Baton Rouge event — hosted by the local TPUSA chapter — drew a massive 1,600 attendees, far exceeding expectations. Lines wrapped around the block, and doors opened early to accommodate the surging crowd of young conservatives eager to honor Kirk's legacy and rally in support of faith, family, and freedom. The vibe was electric and defiant, pulsing with patriotic fervor as chants of "USA!" and "Charlie Kirk!" erupted from a packed house.
Stuckey inspired and challenged the crowd with a powerful speech on "five of Charlie Kirk's most controversial truths," motivating students with Charlie's favorite phrase of encouragement: "Keep slugging."
'He really was an anomaly'
Earhardt told Stuckey she found it "amazing" to hear from so many people all that Kirk had done for them. "I'm hearing you say he would text you, encourage you," she marveled.
"He also had to fundraise. He also had a family. He was traveling. He was contacting so many people and really pouring into their lives. How did he balance it all? How did he have time to do it?"
“I have no idea,” was Stuckey's candid response.
"You know, I've joked a few times that, in true Charlie fashion, he is giving all of his friends and his team a whole lot of work. ... Gosh, it's taken at least a dozen of us to make up for Charlie's speaking engagements and all of the different obligations that he had on his show and everywhere," she laughed.
"He really was an anomaly. God just blessed him with amazing work ethic and persistence and energy because, of course, God knew that his time was tragically short. And he had a lot to accomplish, and he did."
In the end, Charlie didn't just create a movement — he multiplied one.
"Even though he was the center of it, it's far beyond him," Stuckey said.
The Charlie effect
And she's right. Since his tragic death, Charlie's American Comeback Tour, which was rebranded as This Is the Turning Point Tour to honor his legacy, has experienced an explosion in participation. Campus events see massive, exceeding-expectations turnouts. Thousands are left outside as arenas fill to bursting. Patriotic chants fueled by grief-turned-determination electrify the atmosphere.
Interest in TPUSA membership has also dramatically increased, with the organization receiving more than 120,000 requests to start local chapters since the founder's martyrdom.
The Charlie effect is real — and it's fueling a nationwide revival.
"He left a legacy that really multiplied, and that speaks to who he was as a person but also just where we are as a country right now. People have woken up, and people are ready to step off the sidelines and come into the arena, and I say let's go,” Stuckey urged.
Allie Beth Stuckey delivers bold speech on Charlie Kirk’s “5 most controversial truths” at TPUSA LSU stop
On October 27, conservative firebrand and BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey, star of the hit Christian podcast “Relatable,” commanded the stage at Turning Point USA’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tour stop, where over 1,500 cheering college students packed the Raising Canes River Center Theatre to capacity.
Allie opened by encouraging the crowd with her favorite Charlie-ism — the phrase he used to encourage her with when the media tried to smear her: “Keep slugging.”
“I want you to think of that phrase every minute of every day. The only thing that you can do with the grace and the power of God is to keep slugging — first for the honor and the glory of Jesus Christ, but also in honor of Charlie Kirk,” she said as students stood to their feet and applauded.
She then launched into an inspiring speech titled “5 of Charlie Kirk’s Most Controversial Truths.”
Truth #1: Feminism has failed women
While the feminist movement claims to be pro-women and pro-equality, it’s actually worked to women’s detriment. Instead of making women equal to men, the feminist movement sought to make women the same as men.
“It has fed us this lie that in order to be respected, that we women have to talk like men, that we have to act like men, that we have to be like men,” Allie said.
But that required forsaking the very things that make us women — primarily being moms and wives, which the feminist industrial complex has demonized by pushing abortion, sexual liberation, and gender abolitionism.
Feminism has “left each and every one of its followers lonelier and more broken,” said Allie, who then reminded the women in the audience the truth about who they are.
“Your value, your worth comes from the God who created you. ... You were made in God’s image, and your equal worth, your inherent worth, comes from that reality. It doesn't come from feminism. ... You can be strong, and you can be courageous, and you can be brilliant, and you can be hardworking, and you do not need to act like a man to do that.”
Truth #2: Porn has weakened men
Pornography, Allie candidly explained, doesn’t just harm men; it harms everyone and everything we ought to hold dear: women, children, marriage, and psychological and physical safety. Porn “objectifies women and children,” “commercializes sex,” “glorifies violence,” “creates addiction and shame,” “destroys marriages,” “ruins your perception of other people,” and has become “the legal loophole for sex trafficking,” she warned.
“Men, we need you, and we need your masculinity, and we need your strength, and we need your boldness, and we need your courage, and we need those things to be harnessed for good,” Allie pleaded.
“We need really strong men, and porn makes you weak.”
Truth #3: Merit always trumps DEI
The fear of oppression based on skin color, gender, or any other trait is a hardship Americans today don’t have to worry about.
“And so, we should not be doling out punishments or doling out rewards based on what people look like, based on their sex, based on how they identify. That is actually called partiality, and the Bible calls it a sin,” Allie declared.
The truth was, is, and will always be that nothing in life is “fair.”
“There are different circumstances surrounding our births, different economic situations, different kinds of parents, different kinds of springboards that we’re given, different kinds of setbacks, a different set of strengths, a different set of weaknesses, different kind of personality, different connections that we all make,” Allie said.
Man’s futile attempt to level the playing field in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion only creates more of the evils, like racism and sexism, it supposedly aims to eradicate.
Allie, echoing Charlie, clarified that “what matters across the board is excellence. What matters across the board is hard work. None of us is entitled to anything ... so we should only reward that which someone works for through her own talents and efforts.”
Truth #4: America is a Christian nation
Leftists who are threatened by Judeo-Christian principles that challenge every progressive narrative often try to erase America’s deeply religious heritage. They pretend Enlightenment-based ideals, not Christian doctrine, are the bedrock of the nation’s foundation.
But that’s a lie.
While, yes, our founders passionately believed in free speech and expression — core Enlightenment ideas — these values didn’t contradict or eclipse their commitment to God.
“From the Declaration of Independence to all of our founding documents, all of the founders at the very least understood that it was the direction of providence, the Creator of the universe, the giver of all rights, that laid the foundation for this country, is the source of liberty, and the author of morality,” Allie said.
“America makes no sense without Christianity. America makes no sense without the recognition, as we read in the Declaration of Independence, that we were given certain unalienable rights ... given to us by a Creator whose power transcends the government, and therefore, the government cannot arbitrarily take those rights away,” she declared. “That is the foundation on which our country is built.”
Truth #5: Jesus is the only way to Heaven
This particular truth — the central message of the gospel — is the one that got Charlie killed and the one that makes him a martyr, Allie said.
She then shared the good news of salvation through Jesus with those in the crowd who aren’t believers. “By grace through faith, if you believe in that gospel, you won’t die, but you’ll have eternal life,” she encouraged.
“Charlie was first an evangelist, he was first an apologist before he was a political activist or an organizer, and he shared that gospel. He died for that gospel because he believed it to be true. And he wanted you to know that it’s true. And I want you to know that it’s true.”
Allie ended with this powerful reminder: “One day Jesus is coming back, and there will be no more politics. There will be no more debate. There will be no more division.”
“But he’s not here yet, which means that in the meantime ... we’ve got work to do. And that might look different for every single one of us, but let me tell you what I tell my audience all the time. ... Do the next right thing in faith with excellence and for the glory of God.”
To hear Allie’s full speech, watch the video above.
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‘The real controllers’: Who's REALLY behind race-baiting in the WNBA
The Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark rivalry began years ago on the court of the national title game between Louisiana State University and University of Iowa. When Reese and LSU secured the win, Reese didn’t walk away without famously taunting Clark first.
As the pair have taken their careers into the big leagues, Anthony Walker believes the media is using the controversy, with a racism angle, to promote the WNBA.
“I see the media as a driver,” Walker tells BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock on “Fearless.” “As with the WNBA, it’s never been a profitable business. It’s always needed that infusion of finance.”
“But when we look at what’s happened the last couple of years with women’s college basketball,” he continues, “from my vantage point, women’s college basketball has always been pretty popular.”
However, the WNBA is not as popular as college basketball.
“So they need some kind of angle to push to make things kind of happen. So they’re using all this drama, using all this controversy, using all these angles. It’s why a foul call goes to somebody calling out another person’s wife, and this big racial debacle of microaggression,” Walker explains.
“No press is bad press, so as long as we can get some eyes looking into this, maybe we can turn those views into revenue,” he adds.
But Whitlock doesn't believe the WNBA is turning sports stories into racial ones on their own.
“There was a documentary about Tiger Woods,” Whitlock begins. “Nike is who wanted to push Tiger Woods as a racial story, as a black-white story, and Tiger Woods and his daddy were like, ‘No, I don’t want to do that.’”
“For the most part, Nike, the real controllers, they dictate how these leagues are covered and what they lean into, and they’ve decided the racial angle and racial animus is a way of uplifting the WNBA,” he adds.
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Jake Paul jumps into NIL deals with gymnast Livvy Dunne for partnership in new Walmart brand
Boxer and influencer Jake Paul has recruited multiple star athletes as partners in his new men's care brand.
Recently, Paul signed LSU gymnastics star Livvy Dunne to a name, image, and likeness deal for his health product brand called W.
Dunne is a social media juggernaut in her own right, with over 13 million followers across platforms. She announced the new partnership on her Instagram page, which represents about 40% of her audience.
The NIL deal, first reported by On3, represents the strong crossover value that college athletes offer brands in different markets, along with international reach online.
Dunne is reportedly the third influencer brought on as a co-owner of the Walmart-exclusive brand, along with recent UFC champion Sean O'Malley and rapper Rubi Rose. All of these influencers have a strong following among young men, whom Paul is targeting with his new brand by strictly selling products for less than $10.
Paul launched W in June and reportedly brought Dunne on after meeting her at a party.
"We immediately hit it off," Dunne told WWD. "Seeing how passionate he was in person really made me want to work with him. I know he grew up as an influencer and has always been in the spotlight, but he's truly proven himself in other areas and shown that you can be successful beyond just being an influencer."
Dunne added that she has garnered success by discovering her core values and aligning her brand deals and business opportunities with those ideals.
"I feel like there are so many things on people's feeds that are not authentic. It's very easy to detect," she continued. "It's a feeling you get when you talk to a brand and can tell your core values align. And that's something I felt with W."
'I think that's important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college.'
The gymnast and NCAA champion has been trying to make honesty a big part of her brand, often providing remarks that are seldom heard in the sports world.
In September, she explained the importance for female college athletes to make money off their image while in college, due to lack of popularity of professional women's sports leagues.
"It's very important to capitalize on your NIL while you're in college if you're a female, because there's not a lot of professional leagues after college for most women's sports," Dunne confessed.
"I think that's important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college."
Dunne carries with her a $4 million NIL valuation, which ranks her No. 2 in the country among college athletes.
At the same time, Paul made an estimated $40 million from his recent boxing match against Mike Tyson.
The 27-year-old said he wanted to create a health brand free from artificial dyes, hormone disruptors, and sulfates and sought to bring a product to market that he said would help young men who are deficient in vitamin D and magnesium.
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Gymnast Livvy Dunne reveals the truth about female-athlete marketing: 'There's not a lot of professional leagues'
Viral gymnast and NCAA champion Olivia Dunne explained the importance of female athletes expanding their brands and marketing opportunities while they are still in college.
Dunne, who charges a reported $125,000 per social media post to promote a product, has a name, image, and likeness valuation of about $4 million. Her branding power places her as the second-highest NIL-earning athlete in the country, according to website On3.
Dunne's recent sponsorships include monetization platform Passes and a sportswear deal with Nautica. With over 13 million social media followers, she has masterfully monetized her likeness despite being in gymnastics, a sport not typically synonymous with a high income.
Opting to attend Louisiana State University for a fifth year, Dunne revealed in a recent interview why staying enrolled as a collegiate athlete is so important to her brand.
"It's very important to capitalize on your NIL while you're in college if you're a female, because there's not a lot of professional leagues after college for most women's sports," Dunne confessed.
"I think that's important, creating a substantial brand that will last post-college," she told the New York Post.
Dunne posed for Sports Illustrated in 2023 and has since expressed that her relationship with the brand was one she hoped to monetize after college. This acknowledges that the true marketing value of female NCAA athletes is achieved by reaching beyond their sports and breaking through culturally on social media.
Female athletes are seeing the benefit of stretching their NCAA careers as long as possible in order to garner popularity and gather sponsorships, as opposed to turning pro.
This is made apparent by NCAA athletes like the Cavinder twins, who have returned to the University of Miami for a fifth year of basketball. The twin sisters are not trailblazers in their sport nor national champions like Dunne, but they have tapped into the influencer space so successfully that they've secured deals with brands like Under Armour.
The three-year deal, along with their social media presence, will allow the Cavinders to carry their branding power with them after they leave college athletics.
'I feel like social media really can be glamorized, and it can make your life look really glamorous.'
The reality is that college female athletes are exposed to greater fanfare in the NCAA through national TV deals, tournaments, and the sheer energy of college campuses.
For sports like gymnastics and basketball, the typical endgame would be to become an Olympian or go to the WNBA. However, these offer incredibly limited levels of exposure save for exceptional cases like Olympian Simone Biles or WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
"Girls don’t know where to start," Dunne said of college women finding NIL deals. She started a fund, the Livvy Fund, at LSU to help female athletes with exactly that.
Getting started is sometimes "half the battle," the gymnast continued. "So I definitely want to do something [in NIL] overall, after I'm done at LSU. And hopefully expand beyond LSU and help educate people and just help girls out. ... I've always loved sports. So definitely something in the sports realm."
In a recent documentary, Dunne spoke about how social media can shape an athlete's image with her audience.
"I feel like social media really can be glamorized, and it can make your life look really glamorous when it’s not like that at all times. ... [Viewers] want that inside look on how we balance athletics, school, and now NIL."
What this truly means is that female athletes need to fully expand their online presence while choosing a school that offers the most exposure and gives them a chance to grow their audience.
Former NCAA swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler told Blaze News how apparent this new change has been for college athletes.
"[NIL deals] have changed how students look at prospective programs," Wheeler said. "The way students are picking their schools and how programs are recruiting. ... It's about going to the school that is going to give athletes the best deal."
'There definitely were times where my love for the sport lowered.'
Dunne went on to explain that it has become incredibly difficult for her to balance athletics with her rising fame. However, she seemingly realized that gymnastics is the backbone of her brand, resulting in her return to the NCAA for another year.
"There definitely were times where my love for the sport lowered," she said. "I mean, my sophomore and junior year was quite hard to balance. And with school and athletics, it was just a hard balance and there was nobody I could follow in their footsteps because nobody’s ever done it before. So I kind of just had to carve my own path and find out what works for me."
Dunne said she found the love for her sport again, and that was truly the main reason she decided to return to LSU.
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WILD theory about why LSU ditched national anthem in game against Iowa
In one of the most viewed women’s college basketball games in history, the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the LSU Tigers in a 94-87 victory, which will advance them to the Final Four.
But Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese weren’t the only subjects of conversation.
LSU made a point to leave the court before the national anthem — as is their habit — while the Hawkeyes “stood holding hands.”
“LSU coach, Kim Mulkey, said that it wasn’t intentional” and that “they have a routine of leaving the court at a certain time,” according to reports.
However, LSU’s heartbreaking loss is what Sara Gonzales calls “karma.”
“That loss couldn’t have happened to a more deserving team,” she says.
While Kim Mulkey certainly has her critics, she also is known as “an antichrist to the left,” says Grant Stinchfield. “She dresses like a female; she doesn’t want dating between girls on the team; she is literally hated by [liberals].”
“I actually believe [Mulkey] when she says they went in before [the song],” he says, but regardless, “you should know when the national anthem is, especially in the political climate we live in.”
“I guess, then, my question would just be why is the routine time always coinciding with the national anthem?” asks Sara.
Grant may just have a theory that answers Sara’s question.
“Is this a setup job on her because she’s so despised?” he asks, noting that “there’s something fishy going on between Iowa and LSU.”
“Conspiracy theories in this day and age end up always being true, so that's a fascinating one,” says Sara.
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Louisiana governor responds after LSU's women's basketball team skips national anthem: 'This is a matter of respect'
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) suggested Tuesday that college athletes who disrespect the national anthem should face consequences.
Ahead of the much-anticipated matchup between LSU and Iowa in the women's NCAA tournament on Monday, LSU caught flak for apparently skipping the national anthem. The Iowa Hawkeyes, however, were on the court during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
— (@)
After the game — a 94-87 Iowa victory — LSU women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey addressed the incident.
"Honestly, I don't even know when the anthem was played," she said.
"We kind of have a routine when they're on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don't know, we come in and we do our pre-game stuff," she explained. "I'm sorry, listen, that's nothing intentionally done."
But the damage was done, at least in the eyes of Gov. Landry.
On Tuesday, the Republican governor advocated for university officials to enact a policy that requires student athletes be present for the national anthem — or risk losing their scholarship.
"My mother coached women’s high school basketball during the height of desegregation, no one has a greater respect for the sport and for Coach Mulkey," Landry said in a statement.
"However, above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!" he continued.
"It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship!" he said. "This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill."
But is this a matter of student athletes disrespecting the national anthem?
It appears not.
According to a Louisiana sports reporter who covers the LSU women's basketball team, the players are never on the court during the national anthem. Instead, the team leaves the court before pregame festivities after their warm-ups, before reentering the court for team introductions — just as Coach Mulkey said.
A spokesperson for LSU, associate athletic director Cody Worsham, confirmed that LSU's basketball teams are never on the court for the national anthem.
"Our basketball programs have not been on the court for the anthem for the last several seasons. Usually the anthem is played 12 minutes before the game when the team is in the locker room doing final preparations," Worsham said.
Landry's idea, meanwhile, is already receiving pushback from state leaders, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
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'Gained my respect': NBA legend Paul Pierce shocked 'white girl in Iowa' Caitlin Clark beat a 'bunch of black girls' from LSU
NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce expressed his shock that Iowa's Caitlin Clark was able to beat a "bunch of black girls" from Louisiana State University.
Pierce was speaking on FS1's "Undisputed" with NFL legend Keyshawn Johnson and host Skip Bayless when he reacted to Iowa's historic win over LSU during the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Clark is now viewed as one of the best female basketball players of all time and has recorded the most points in NCAA women's basketball history. The player has had a rivalry with LSU's Angel Reese leading up to their game in the Elite Eight, the quarterfinals of the tournament.
After Iowa won 94-87, Pierce was in awe that Clark, a white woman, was able to beat black women.
"We saw a white girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of Black girls…that gained my respect," he told his cohosts. "That gained my respect! That’s like, oh she didn’t do this to some other little white girls that were over in Colorado or wherever. She did it to some girls from LSU who we thought were some dogs!"
Pierce added that Iowa took LSU and "put 'em on their knee and spanked them. I didn’t expect that."
"We saw a white girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of Black girls. That gained my respect...I didn't expect that." - Paul Pierce— (@)
The LSU team garnered attention for all the wrong reasons following their disappointing loss.
Fans quickly realized that LSU wasn't present during the national anthem after video circulated showing only the Iowa players present on the court, holding hands.
Iowa players holding hands during the American National Anthem. LSU players left the court before the anthem was performed.— (@)
LSU coach Kim Mulkey explained that the move wasn't intentional and claimed she didn't know when the Star-Spangled Banner would be performed.
"Honestly, I don't even know when the anthem was played," Mulkey said in the post-game press conference. "We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don't know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I'm sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done."
Kim Mulkey said her team didn't intentionally leave the floor prior to the playing of the United States National Anthem. \n\n"Honestly, I don't even know when the anthem was played. We kind of have a routine [for leaving the court at a certain time]."— (@)
LSU star Reese had her own controversial segment during the press conference and detailed how she has felt abused online and hasn't been able to stand up for herself.
"I don't really get to stand up for myself. I have great teammates, I have a great support system, I have my hometown, I have my family that stands up for me," she began.
"I don't really get to speak out on things because I just try to ignore. I just try to stand strong. I've been through so much, I've seen so much, I've been attacked so many times. Death threats, I've been sexualized, I've been threatened...I'm still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship, and I said the other day, I haven't been happy since then," she added.
Interestingly enough, minutes earlier, teammate Hailey Van Lith said that media and online criticisms do not affect Reese's psyche.
"Y'all do not get to her. Let me say it again. Y'all do not get to Angel Reese. You might want to throw the towel in because you're wasting your energy. Angel is one of the toughest people I've been around," Van Lith declared.
— (@)
While it is obvious that threats of physical violence are unwarranted, Reese's claims of being sexualized are indeed strange given that she posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2023.
It is equally strange given that after LSU's win in the previous round of the NCAA tournament, Reese spoke about how much she enjoyed modeling.
"Me being able to be on the court but also off the court, I like to model and do other things. I can do both," she said, according to Outkick.
Reese still noted that she is "unapologetically" herself, with no plans to change.
"I wouldn't change anything, and I would still sit here and say I'm unapologetically me," she said. "I'm going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that."
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'Put your f***ing a** in the ground': LSU lecturer under investigation over threatening message to Louisiana lawmaker who supported ban on child sex-change mutilations
A lecturer at Louisiana State University has been barred from teaching and is now under investigation by Louisiana State Police after allegedly sending a threatening, profanity-laced message to Republican state Sen. Michael Fesi.
Fesi was among the state senators who voted to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' veto of SB 648, thereby ensuring the bill banning child sex-change mutilations would be made law.
The prospect — made a reality with Fesi's help — that children could no longer receive destructive puberty blockers or go under the the knife for irreversible, sterilizing procedures didn't just upset Democrats. It appears to have similarly enraged LSU grad student and lecturer Marcus Venable.
The voicemail message allegedly left by Venable calls Fesi a "f***ing moron" and a "fat f***ing piece of sh**."
"I just want to say congratulations to our state Sen. 'Big Mike' Fesi," says the message. "And that f***ing moron voted to make things worse for people who are already suffering. ... You did not produce any g**damn evidence to support the claims you made about people being harmed by transgender care. Yet we've had tons of empirical evidence telling us there's an increased suicide risk for people who don't get this care."
WAFB-TV indicated that that the allusion to "evidence" about persons harmed by so-called "transgender care" is likely in reference to Fesi's remarks Tuesday at the state Capitol, where he said, "You know who the real experts are, it’s the ones that had this procedure done and are now in their mid-twenties, and late twenties, and trying to say that they hate their parents for letting this happen to them."
"So you, you big fat-headed mother f***er, I can't wait to read your name in the f***ing obituary," continues the voicemail message. "I will make a g**damn martini made from the tears of butthurt conservatives when we put your f***ing a** in the ground, you fat f***ing useless piece of sh**."
While Venable allegedly concluded the message by wishing Fesi a "terrible day," the occasional LSU lecturer appears to have reaped the whirlwind.
Upon receiving the threatening message, Fesi informed the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, which then turned it over to the LSP, reported WAFB.
"I just want them to do their investigation, and them do what they think’s right. I don’t want to see no harm come to anybody," said Fesi.
Louisiana State Police confirmed to the Advocate that an investigation into Venable was under way.
LSU, which acknowledged that the leftist has taught classes at the school, indicated he will no longer be permitted to do so.
LSU spokeswoman Abbi Rocha Laymoun told the College Fix in a statement Thursday, "As a university, we foster open and respectful dialogue. Like everyone, graduate students with teaching assignments have the right to express their opinions, but this profanity-filled, threatening call crossed the line."
Laymoun added, "This does not exhibit the character we expect of someone given the privilege of teaching as part of their graduate assistantship. The student will be allowed to continue their studies but will not be extended the opportunity to teach in the future."
Venable reportedly did not respond to the College Fix's request for comment.
Legal analyst Franz Borghardt suggested to WAFB that the university was within its rights to prohibit Venable from teaching.
"First and foremost, your constitutional rights to free speech are not absolute, if your words or your expression are threatening, if they are harmful, they are not necessarily absolutely protected," said Borghardt. "So, can LSU respond to a faculty member, albeit an LSU grad student making a profane, potentially threatening voicemail to a member of the legislature, yes I think they can. Because candidly at the end of the day, the call borderlines on a criminal act, whether it be assault, whether it be terrorizing."
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) responded to the voicemail on Twitter, writing, "My, my, my... I'll be your huckle bearer Mr. LSU Professor."
Sex-change survivor Chloe Cole highlighted how Venable's stated research interests were "criminology, sexual assault, sex-offender recidivism, sex-offender registries."
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tweeted, "Let's see if @LSU decides this deranged, hateful, & violent bigot ought to get a paycheck from taxpayers or should be invited to take a job cleaning toilets on campus since he gets most of his disgusting words from one."
Hear the voicemail message here:
— (@)
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