Current, Ex-WNBA Players Call for Atlanta Dream Owner Kelly Loeffler's Removal

Current and former WNBA players have called on the league to oust Sen. Kelly Loeffler from her role as a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. 

Referencing the ongoing protests against police brutality, systemic racism and social inequality, Loeffler shared a clip from her appearance on Fox News last month and said, "We must not allow mob rule."

Loeffler also criticized the WNBA's decision to let players wear special apparel drawing attention to "the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence."

"The truth is, we need less—not more politics in sports," Loeffler said, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein and Bria Felicien. "In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote. And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports."

As a result, she's receiving significant criticism from around the league:

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a statement on the matter, noting Loeffler is "no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team":

Hall of Famer Alex English, who's also on the board of advocates for the Women's National Basketball Players Association, tweeted that Loeffler has "Donald Sterling vibes."

The NBA banned Sterling, who was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers at the time, for life in April 2014 after recordings surfaced in which he had made a series of racist comments.

Loeffler purchased a minority stake in the Dream in 2010.