Atlanta Dream Players Issue Statement on Co-Owner's Recent BLM Comments: 'This is Statement of Humanity'
On Friday evening, the players of the Atlanta Dream released a collective public statement days after team co-owner Kelly Loeffler, a junior U.S. senator from Georgia, vocally criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and the league's embrace of it.
"We are the women of the Atlanta Dream," the players said. "We are women who support a movement. We are strong and we are fearless. We offer a voice to the voiceless. Our team is united in the Movement for Black Lives. It is not extreme to demand change after centuries of inequality. This is not a political statement. This is a statement of humanity. Black lives matter."
The statement was shared on the team's official Twitter account as well as on the personal social media feeds of many of its players.
Earlier this week, Loeffler sent a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, where she called for "less" politics in sports and said voiced her opposition to putting the phrase "Black Lives Matter" and "Say Her Name" on warmup jerseys. Loeffler instead suggested they should be replaced with American flags on all apparel.
"The truth is, we need less—not more politics in sports. In a time when polarizing politics is as divisive as ever, sports has the power to be a unifying antidote," Loeffler said in the letter, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"And now more than ever, we should be united in our goal to remove politics from sports."
After news of Loeffler's letter to Engelbert spread, the WNBPA tweeted out a link to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story on Loeffler's opposition to the jersey plan with the caption "E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!"
Other current and former WNBA players including Skylar Diggins-Smith, Sue Bird and Natasha Cloud called for Loeffler's removal from the league.
The league said in a statement Tuesday that. "Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not served as a governor of the Atlanta Dream since October 2019 and is no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team."
The team said in a statement earlier this week that, "The Atlanta Dream is not a political entity—we are in the business of sports and entertainment. The Dream players and staff are focused on building a successful team on the court, winning games and creating a second-to-none fan experience."
Terri Jackson, the executive director of the WNBPA, told the New York Times that the union is planning to meet with Engelbert to discuss the next steps in addressing Loeffler's future in the league. Loeffler, whose senate seat is contested in a special election vote this fall, said in an interview with FOX News' Laura Ingraham this week that she would not step down.
"This isn't about me," Loeffler told Ingraham. "This is about every American's right to speak out. To enjoy free speech and to support whatever cause and not be canceled. We have this cancel culture that is threatening America and the foundation of it is that Americans are afraid to speak out because of the cancel culture. And I am not going to be silenced by it."
Loeffler and co-owner Mary Brock bought the team in 2011.
This past January, Loeffler filled the senate seat vacated by Johnny Isakson, who stepped down after experiencing health problems.
In March, Loeffler was implicated for potential insider trading for stock trades she made weeks before the coronavirus caused markets to plunge. The Justice Department closed her case in May and she was cleared of any wrongdoing.
