Does Cathy Engelbert need to step down as WNBA commissioner?

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton discuss the league’s reaction to the statement made by Napheesa Collier. Has Cathy Engelbert’s response done anything to help the situation or is it time for her to step down as the commissioner?

Video Transcript

To me, it’s become glaringly apparent that Cathy Englebert needs to step down today as the commissioner of the WNBA.

You can’t walk this back, and what we’ve learned is that the level of the trust that the players have for her is absolutely broken.

And we also heard very direct accusations of statements made.

And I think this is important because Navisa flat out said when she talked to Cathy Englebert and asked about officiating, the quote she gave is that she was told, quote, only losers complain about the refs, right?

When she asked Cathy Englebert about the young players not making enough money, Cathy.

Englebert’s quote was, Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.

Players should be on their knees thanking her for the media rights deal.

I got them.

Those are direct quotes that Navisa Collier has attributed to Cathy Englebert.

And even in Cathy’s response, none of that was addressed.

So what you have, let’s use the equivalent from any other sport.

You have somebody that has been an MVP in the WNBA.

You have a Lamar Jackson type coming out and making a glaring statement against the WNBA’s version of Roger Goodell.

So now, the commissioner has two choices.

One, you can just not address it at all.

Well, that’s not gonna work.

Or two, you can address it.

And if you do address it, you are either going to have to admit that you said these things, or you are going to have to publicly call an MVP in your league a liar.

That’s something that the league simply can’t be prepared for.

This was the ultimate checkmate move in this statement.

It is time for Cathy Englebert to step down as the commissioner of the WNBA.

There is absolutely no coming back from this.

She does not have trust from the coaches, she does not have trust from the players.

She does not advocate for anyone in this league.

If you don’t have trust.

If you’re not an advocate, if you are not actively fighting to get every single drop for these players of what they are worth, then why are you even in this role to begin with?

And important to point out, Navisa Collier knows what it’s like to be a commissioner.

She started unrivaled along with Brianna Stewart.

They started their own league.

They are attracting the biggest stars of the W into an offseason league.

Nafisa Collier said, if I didn’t know exactly what the job entailed, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.

But unfortunately for them, I do.

I think that makes her words even more powerful because it is coming from a place of experience.

She’s a commissioner herself.

She knows how to do the job, and she knows how to identify somebody who’s not doing their job.

That’s exactly what she did yesterday.

The Kathy Englebert era in the W needs to be done.

Does Cathy Engelbert need to step down as WNBA commissioner?

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