The Sky, a WNBA team, had a disturbing incident in Washington, D.C. when a man confronted them as they were exiting their bus at the team’s hotel. The man, who was not a hotel guest, specifically targeted guard Chennedy Carter. He approached Carter and her teammates with a camera as they arrived at the hotel.
The Sky team travels with multiple bodyguards as part of increased security measures implemented this year. The situation was quickly de-escalated by the team’s security, and the police were not called to the scene. The man was escorted away by the Sky’s security and the hotel staff was informed of the incident.
General manager Jeff Pagliocca stated that the situation ended as quickly as it began and expressed confidence in the team’s security. He said that this incident highlighted the importance of their role in ensuring player safety.
According to Pagliocca, the man tried to engage Carter in conversation while team staff were unloading bags. Several Sky players shared their experiences of the incident on social media. Rookie Angel Reese expressed her disgust at the man’s actions, while forward Michaela Onyenwere called for a line to be drawn against such harassment. Sky forward Isabelle Harrison also thanked their security team for their prompt response.
It remains unclear how the man managed to locate the Sky’s hotel. Another Sky forward, Brianna Turner, was not present during the incident but shared her thoughts on social media. She condemned recent negative headlines that have created an unsafe environment for players and rejected racism as part of the game.
Following a training session, Reese stated that the team had not experienced anything similar before. She noted that while she had encountered reporters on the street before, this incident was different due to its harassing nature. A video circulated online showed the man repeatedly asking Carter about Fever guard Caitlin Clark before being blocked by Sky security.
This incident occurred amidst a week of heated discussion over Carter’s Flagrant 1 foul on Clark in the Sky’s recent loss to the Fever. Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon assured that the team felt fully protected by security and were focused on their game.
Source: chicago.suntimes.com