NEW YORK — Amid rising tensions in the league surrounding security, officiating and online harassment, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert met with a pair of player committees Tuesday night to air grievances and address solutions.
The meeting included the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association executive committee, the league’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee and leadership from league security. Conducted virtually, the meeting came at the request of the WNBPA in the wake of a controversial play earlier this month between Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
“The biggest thing was communication,” Chicago Sky center and WNBPA secretary Elizabeth Williams said. “Communication from Cathy and the league side being a little more consistent, you know, so we feel more comfortable.
“Overall, there are steps that are being taken, which is encouraging. But we just want to see a little more consistency.”
The WNBPA asked for the meeting following the play between Thomas and Clark but before the league issuing Thomas a one-game suspension. The players sought to address how the league can be more proactive in dealing with crises that overwhelmingly impact players.
“The conversation underscored the importance of addressing issues early through proactive communication and strengthening the league-union relationship,” the league and union said in a joint statement Wednesday. “The league committed to continuing to enhance security resources and will work with the players’ union to explore collaborations with organizations that share the values of our league and advance our shared priorities.”
Since Thomas’ suspension, a handful of players have come forward to share their experiences with online harassment, including racial slurs and death threats.
The WNBA codified security measures for the first time in its new CBA, a seven-year deal reached in March. That standard requires every team to secure the services of at least one security officer to accompany players during all team-related activities. Most teams in the league travel with at least two security guards.
These new standards began being implemented by most teams at least three years ago.
“When we were flying public on normal flights, we didn’t have any security,” Dallas Wings forward Alysha Clark told The Athletic earlier this month. “You see a significant difference.”
Clark shared an incident from early in her career when she was leaving an arena after a game and fans followed her to her car. She had a friend accompanying her at the time who stepped in, but said it should have never happened. Now, players are accompanied to their cars on the road and in their home markets by team security.
WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said she noticed a shift in security measures when she joined the New York Liberty in 2023. The Liberty travel with three security guards. Whether players are going to team dinners or out, Stewart said they were advised that Liberty security will be like “a fly on the wall” to ensure their safety at all times.
Before this season, each WNBA market has had two WNBA security representatives deployed to work with arena personnel and local law enforcement. That number has increased to three this season.
When it comes to online harassment, protocols in place include players, coaches and executives reporting such material to team security, who are then expected to coordinate with the league. Such threats and harassment are assessed by the league’s Global Security Operations Center and investigated when appropriate. The league can pursue bans and referrals to local law enforcement.
Additional steps discussed Tuesday included pursuing accountability from the tech companies and more streamlined conversations from team security, the league and law enforcement (when necessary). The reporting process was also explained in detail during the call, which Williams said was helpful as some players didn’t fully understand the full scope.
When it comes to officiating, Williams said players stressed accountability on Tuesday’s call, specifically in regard to the play between Thomas and Clark, when no foul was called on the floor. Thomas was fined and received a flagrant penalty 2 after the fact.
When clear fouls go uncalled, it creates unnecessary backlash for players that could be avoided “if they had made the call in real time,” Williams said. Solutions discussed included a replay center and a last two-minute report, similar to what the NBA uses. But Williams neither of those options are in play for this season.
While no similar meetings are scheduled, the notion of making these a more regular occurrence was discussed.
“We don’t want it to just be how it was. It felt like desperation,” Williams said. “We want to feel a little more collaborative. So we talked about that, having them more frequently even when things are going right.”
