The Seattle Storm is investigating its coaching staff following allegations of player mistreatment, according to a story released Friday by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Sun-Times reported that the franchise hired an independent law firm to look into alleged reports of the team’s coaches bullying and harassing players based on on-court performance. The alleged mistreatment reportedly happened during practices and games last season. ESPN also is reporting the news.
USA TODAY Sports reached out to the Storm and the WNBA for comment.
Noelle Quinn was named the head coach of the Storm in May 2021 after former coach Dan Hughes retired. Quinn is familiar with the organization and played five seasons in Seattle before joining Hughes’ coaching staff in 2019. Quinn served as an associate head coach in the Storm’s 2020 WNBA title run, led by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, before her promotion to head coach.
In her fourth season as head coach this year, Quinn led the Storm to a 25-15 record before Seattle lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs. Quinn’s coaching staff includes assistants Pokey Chatman, Ebony Hoffman and Perry Huang. Storm star Nneka Ogwumike is the president of the WNBA Players Association, a position she’s held since 2016.
Following the conclusion of the Storm’s season in September, Quinn said she planned to work with an executive coach in the off-season to ‘continue to work on my leadership skills and all the things that are important to me on my coaching journey.’ Quinn added that she was proud of the team’s ‘turnaround season.’
Seattle is not the first team to face player mistreatment allegations. In August, Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby filed a federal lawsuit against her former team, the Aces, alleging discrimination and retaliation over her pregnancy before being traded in January 2023. Aces coach Becky Hammon denied the allegations.
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