Natasha Howard Responds to Domestic Abuse Allegations: 'I Deny Them'

Howard's wife accused her of domestic abuse on Twitter on Saturday.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard has denied the domestic abuse allegations brought up against her by her wife on Saturday.

In a statement through her attorney, Lorraine Rimson, Howard called the allegations "very serious" before denying the claims that she abused her wife, Jacqueline.

"I do not take them lightly, but I do not believe that they should be evaluated and decided through social media or through the media generally," Howard said of the allegations. "That is why I have waited to comment."

Howard added that she filed for divorce in King County Superior Court and submitted her own sworn statement as well as one from her mother. All documents are being shared with the Storm and WNBA, according to Howard.

Howard's wife posted a video on Twitter on Saturday, yelling at the forward and accusing her of threats. Jacqueline alleged that Howard broke a door, and multiple doors with broken glass are seen in the video. Howard appeared to deny the allegations in the video.

Jacqueline also posted screenshots of text messages that she says describe instances of alleged abuse from Howard. Her screenshots include texts with Howard, Howard's mother and Storm CEO and GM Alisha Valavanis.

Both the Storm and the WNBA are investigating the allegations.

"I am prepared to cooperate with any investigation that the Seattle Storm or the WNBA undertakes," Howard said in her statement. "Going forward, I will continue to deal with the issues related to my divorce through the court process only. I am confident that through the court process the real story will come out."

Drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2014, Howard played two seasons with the team before being traded to the Minnesota Lynx, where she also spent two years. In Feb. 2018, Howard was traded to the Storm and set career highs in scoring, blocks, rebounds, assists and steals that season.

Howard is averaging 17.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season and was recently named an All-Star starter.