Former Indiana Fever player Brianna Turner has made a startling allegation: the WNBA team encouraged players to stay silent about a male staff member fired for sexual harassment last season. Turner, now a forward for the Las Vegas Aces, posted a series of messages on X on Wednesday, July 22, defending transgender rights and, in the process, revealing what she says happened behind the scenes.
“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. That is an issue. Sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and racism are all issues,” Turner wrote. She did not name the fired staff member or specify who was allegedly harassed.
The Indiana Fever responded with a statement on Thursday, July 23. “Protecting our players and employees and 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. Fostering trust and safety in that process means we do not comment on personnel matters involving former employees,” the team said.
Turner’s allegations surfaced amid a broader debate about transgender athletes in women’s sports. Earlier this week, her former Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham said she supports transgender people but does not believe trans women should compete in women’s sports. “I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category,” Cunningham said. Turner countered that the real threats to women are not transgender athletes but issues like sexual harassment.
“A tiny minority of the population identifies as trans, yet they are always a trending topic unfortunately. 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,” Turner posted.
The WNBA player safety has been under scrutiny. On Tuesday, July 21, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert met with players’ union leaders to discuss online abuse and harassment. A recent high-profile incident involved the Fever: after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul on Fever star Caitlin Clark in June, Thomas said she received death threats and racist comments. Clark and Fever coach Stephanie White condemned the hate.
Turner, an eighth-year WNBA veteran and treasurer of the players’ association, helped negotiate a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement ahead of the 2026 season. She has long been an advocate for the transgender community.
The Fever’s response drew criticism from fans. “This is such a bad look for the fever,” one fan posted on X. Another added, “Fever organization got exposed and can’t even release a proper statement.” It remains unclear if a police report was filed regarding the alleged harassment.
