Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a co-owner of Atlanta’s professional women’s basketball team who called on the WNBA to drop its support for Black Lives Matter, will not be forced out of the league.
“We’re not going to force her to sell her ownership," said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told ESPN Thursday.
"She is not a current governor, she is not involved in the day-to-day, and we are aware there are interested parties who want to purchase the team.
"We have a board of governors — she has not served as a governor since she became a senator, so since October of 2019."
Loeffler on July 10 referred to the BLM organization as a "radical Marxist group that actively promotes violence and destruction across the country."
"Let me be clear: Every single African American life is important and must be valued," Loeffler wrote. "We must root out racism, pursue justice and ensure equality for all. But that's not the objective of the Black Lives Matter political organization. Making the statement that 'Black lives matter' and backing the nefarious entity of the same name are two very different things."
The Georgia senator also sent a letter to Engelbert expressing her opposition to the movement, saying politics needs to be removed from sports.
Thirteen of the Atlanta Dream players last week said the team was united in the BLM movement, calling it a “statement of humanity.”
Dream player Elizabeth Williams followed up the post from the team's official account by tweeting the same message and adding, "We've read the letter. We reject the letter."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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