A former Fever player made concerning allegations that the organization “encouraged” her and her teammates to keep quiet after a male staffer was fired for “sexual harassment” last season.
Brianna Turner, who played the 2025 season with Indiana and now plays for the Aces, made the allegation in a lengthy thread of posts on X while reacting to the ongoing conversation surrounding trans athletes in women’s sports, which was reignited after Fever star Sophie Cunningham touched on the topic in an ESPN profile.
“An issue that has caused problems though? Last year on my WNBA team a male staff member was fired for sexual harassment, but we were encouraged to keep quiet about it,” Turner wrote on the social media platform. “That is an issue. Sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and racism are all issues.”
The Fever said in a statement provided to The Post that the protection of the team’s players and staff members, along with “maintaining a respectful, professional workplace is our top priority.”
“Our policy is to take concerns seriously, investigate thoroughly, and act promptly when appropriate to protect the people in our organization and ensure everyone is treated with professionalism and respect,” the Fever’s statement read. “Fostering trust and safety in that process means we do not comment on personnel matters involving former employees.”
Turner did not elaborate on any details about the allegations; however, a source close to the situation told The Post that what transpired was an instance of a “low-level” team staff member making an “inappropriate comment” in a private conversation with another staffer, and that no “crime or harm” occurred.
The comment, which was described as “vulgar and disrespectful,” was not made in the presence of or heard by any Fever players, and it was immediately reported, leading to the staffer’s termination the same day, the source said.
Players were informed about the situation right after it occurred, and the source said that they were never told they could not talk about it.
Local authorities were not called over the incident, the source said.
The latest controversy involving the Fever comes amid headlines around the debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Cunningham has stood by comments she made in an ESPN feature where she said that she wanted to “protect young girls in the locker room” and that “they shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
She doubled down on those comments Wednesday when she said she felt her beliefs are “kind of common sense.”
The topic has become a political lightning rod, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June decision to uphold individual state bans on trans athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
The Fever have supported Cunningham’s right to express her opinion while welcoming fans of all backgrounds.
“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the Fever said in a statement released on Wednesday. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”
While Turner did not name Cunningham in any of her posts, she pushed back on criticisms of allowing trans athletes to participate in women’s sports.
“A tiny minority of the population identifies as trans, yet they are always a trending topic unfortunately,” one of Turner’s posts read. “I’m in my 8th season as a WNBA player. To date there’s been one out trans player in the league. They caused zero problems.”
