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

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistJuly 7, 2020

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., waits to speak in a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Susan Walsh/Associated Press

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."

Kelly Loeffler @KLoeffler
We must not allow mob rule. We must not defund the police. And we must protect the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. I’m continuing to take action on these issues. #gapol #gasen https://t.co/nrJueL82PJ

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:

Sheryl Swoopes @airswoopes22
Hmmmm....great question! @WNBA MUST do better!!! https://t.co/GodEjjwULF

Renee Montgomery @itsreneem_
The second amendment is a part of the Bill of Rights. The problem some may be having is who is bearing the arms. #MomentsEqualMomentum https://t.co/4jUryvql2l

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Natasha Cloud @T_Cloud4
@bluestein We don’t want her.

Sue Bird @S10Bird
Asking myself the same question https://t.co/4AbLp3vF9C

Skylar Diggins-Smith @SkyDigg4
Agreed. Kelly Loeffler’s gotta GO! Period! @WNBA @atlantadream @CathyEngelbert https://t.co/4M3ehjyh8Y

WNBPA @TheWNBPA
E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T! https://t.co/XgIS2vRb2X

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":

WNBA @WNBA
The following was released by the WNBA: https://t.co/wH6ZmyDDcx

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.