THE Seattle Storm is investigating its coaching staff following allegations of player mistreatment, according to an article published Friday by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Sun-Times reported that the franchise hired an independent law firm to look into allegations that the team’s coaches bullied and harassed players based on their on-field performance. The alleged mistreatment allegedly occurred during practices and games last season. ESPN also reports the news.
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to the Storm and the WNBA for comment.
Noelle Quinn was named head coach of the Storm in May 2021 following the retirement of former coach Dan Hughes. Quinn is familiar with the organization and played five seasons in Seattle before joining Hughes’ coaching staff in 2019. Quinn served as associate head coach in the Storm’s 2020 WNBA title run, led by Finals MVP . Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, prior to his promotion to head coach.
In his 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 has held since 2016.
After Storm’s season concluded in September, Quinn said she planned to work with an executive coach in the off-season to “continue working on my leadership skills and everything else that is important to me in my coaching journey.” Quinn added that she was proud of the team’s “turnaround season.”
Seattle is not the first team to face allegations of player mistreatment. In August, Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks filed a federal lawsuit against her former team, the Aces, alleging discrimination and retaliation following her pregnancy before being traded in January 2023. Ace coach Becky Hammon has denied the allegations.
Contributor: Lindsay Schnell
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Seattle Storm investigating player abuse allegations: reports
