Women's Fastbreak On SI

Storm Coaches Reportedly Being Investigated for Player Mistreatment Allegations

A jarring report has come out that alleges the Seattle Storm coaching staff is being investigated for, "alleged harassment and bullying tied to on-court performance".

Grant Young

Jul 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn reacts during the game against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jul 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn reacts during the game against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On Friday, evening Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile wrote an article that alleged the Seattle Storm coaching staff is under investigation for alleged player mistreatment.

"A law firm hired by the team is looking into accusations of alleged harassment and bullying tied to on-court performance against the coaching staff during the 2024 season, a source said. The allegations stem from incidents that happened at practice and during games. An email from the law firm, obtained by the Sun-Times, showed the investigation has been active for at least two weeks," Costabile wrote.

She later added, "According to one league source, the investigation was sparked by multiple players’ experiences."

This report is fascinating on multiple fronts. One of which is that Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike — who is also the President of the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) — conveyed what seemed like a clear desire to play for Seattle again in 2025 after signing a one-year deal with the team this past offseason during her recent appearance on the "A Touch More" podcast

"I am looking for a team that has a head coach that I am connected to, a practice facility, great engagement when it comes from ownership, management that's on top of it," Ogwumike said when asked about her free agency.

"I mean, Seattle has all those things," she added with a wry smile.

Seattle's head coach is Noelle Quinn, who was made head coach of the team in 2021 after coach Dan Hughes (who Quinn served as an assistant coach for) retired.

Surely more is to come from this still developing story.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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