The Seattle Storm WNBA franchise is under investigation for alleged player abuse, according to a report released by the agency. Friday Chicago-Sun Times.
Storm staff, led by head coach Noel Quinn, allegedly harassed and bullied players during games and practices because of the team's on-court performance.
It is unclear at this time whether the allegations are due to wrongdoing by Quinn or other members of the coaching staff, but the investigation into the matter has been ongoing for at least two weeks.
Expectations for the Storm were sky-high heading into the 2024 season, considering the team made a ton of talent last offseason. Among them were former MVP Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star Skyler Diggins-Smith.
And although the Storm (25-15) did enough to qualify for the postseason, they lost in the first round to the 2023 champion Las Vegas Aces and were eliminated from the tournament.
They won three games in a row and lost two games by a total of 18 points.
2024 will be Quinn's fourth year on the Storm bench, with her coaching staff rounded out by assistants Perry Huang, Ebony Hoffman and Poky Chatman.
Hwang will be a member of the coaching staff starting in 2021 and Hoffman will be a member of the coaching staff starting in 2022.
Mr. Chatman joined the company in 2022 and added the role of associate general manager in 2023.
Quinn, who won a WNBA championship with the Storm in 2018, signed a multi-year contract extension in September 2023.
Few details about the ongoing investigation have been released, but league officials confirmed the investigation stems from experiences involving multiple players, according to the Sun-Times.
Neither the Storm, WNBA nor WNBA Players Association have provided further details.
