07/23/26 06:38:00
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07/23 18:36 CDT Brianna Turner: Fever fired a male employee for sexual
harassment, players encouraged to keep quiet
Brianna Turner: Fever fired a male employee for sexual harassment, players
encouraged to keep quiet
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- Brianna Turner said on social media that her former team, the
Indiana Fever, fired a male employee last season for sexual harassment. Turner,
who was with Indiana last season but now plays for the Las Vegas Aces, also
said Fever players were encouraged not to discuss the firing.
The Fever put out a statement Thursday that didn't directly address Turner's
comments.
"Protecting our players and employees and maintaining a respectful,
professional workplace is our top priority," the Fever said. "Our policy is to
take concerns seriously, investigate thoroughly, and act promptly when
appropriate to protect the people in our organization and ensure everyone is
treated with professionalism and respect. Fostering trust and safety in that
process means we do not comment on personnel matters involving former
employees."
Turner's comments were part of a series of posts she made in defense of
transgender athletes.
"To date there's been one out trans player in the league. They caused zero
problems," Turner wrote in the posts on X on Wednesday. "An issue that has
caused problems though? Last year on my WNBA team a male staff member was fired
for sexual harassment, but we were encouraged to keep quiet about it. That is
an issue."
She didn't provide details of the firing.
Turner's comments came after a former teammate, Fever guard Sophia Cunningham,
had also weighed in on the issue of transgender athletes competing in women's
sports.
"I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, ?I never
once said that,'" Cunningham was quoted as saying in a story published this
week by ESPN. "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with
that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker
room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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