WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert found herself trending for all the wrong reasons on Tuesday when Minnesota Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier brought to light some remarkably insensitive things that Engelbert told her in a private meeting between the two.
“I want to be clear this conversation is not about winning or losing. It’s about something much bigger,” Collier began her exit interview with, according to Awful Announcing.
“The real threat to our league isn’t money. It isn’t ratings, or even missed calls, or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability in the league office. Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating. and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity with which it operates.
“Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is a lack of accountability from our leaders.”
“I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier continued.
“Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’”
“In that same conversation, she told me players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them. That’s the mentality driving our league from the top. We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.”
Now, one prominent ESPN personality is calling for Engelbert to resign in light of what Collier revealed.
“Let me say for the record: you should resign,” Stephen A. Smith said of Engelbert, via Awful Announcing. “When a player — any player — but especially one of that magnitude attacks you publicly like that, that weak ass statement that Commissioner Engelbert gave is not good enough.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Engelbert actually steps down.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.