Sen. Kelly Loeffler says she won't step down as WNBA owner following BLM backlash

Stephen Proctor
Updated ·3 min read

Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who co-owns the WNBA team the Atlanta Dream, appeared on The Ingraham Angle Wednesday night, where she said she would not give up ownership of the club despite numerous calls for her to do so due to her opposition to Black Lives Matter. After the WNBA announced on Monday that players would wear warm-up jerseys that read “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back, Loeffler sent a letter to the commissioner on Tuesday denouncing BLM, and she continued to do so Wednesday night.

“The WNBA has embraced the Black Lives Matter political organization. This is a very divisive organization based on Marxist principles,” Loeffler said, adding, “This is an organization that seeks to destroy American principles, and I had to draw the line.”

Loeffler later said, “There’s no room in this country for racism, but this isn’t what the Black Lives Matter political organization is about.”

Even before her statements Wednesday night, Loeffler was met with fierce backlash over her letter, including from Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery, who had already decided to sit out the season to fight racial injustice.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association and players from around the league were quick to call for Loeffler’s removal.

On Tuesday night, Washington Mystics player Natasha Cloud spoke out against Loeffler on CNN.

“For her to come out and say we’re divisive and that Black Lives Matter’s movement is a divisive organization, I call BS on that,” Cloud said, later adding, “Atlanta in itself, their starting five is all black females… to be a partial owner in that and cheer on the sidelines and support your players, but you don’t support them when they take those uniforms off, it’s a problem. And that’s not only a Loeffler problem, that’s America’s problem.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert also released a statement in response to Loeffler’s letter, saying that the senator was “no longer involved in the day-to-day business of the team.”

The Ingraham Angle airs weeknights at 10 p.m. on Fox News Channel.

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