Sen. Kelly Loeffler ignores calls to sell stake in WNBA team after denouncing BLM

Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

Georgia senator and co-owner of WNBA team the Atlanta Dream, Republican Kelly Loeffler, appeared on The Ingraham Angle Wednesday night where she said she would not give up ownership of the team 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.

Video Transcript

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LAURA INGRAHAM: Is there any chance, Senator, I should say, that you are going to step aside as an owner, give up your interest, or sell it off? Any chance?

KELLY LOEFFLER: Look, Laura, what's at stake here is--

LAURA INGRAHAM: Yes or no?

KELLY LOEFFLER: --much more than a team.

LAURA INGRAHAM: There's no wiggle room. Come on. I mean, this "The Ingraham Angle."

KELLY LOEFFLER: No.

LAURA INGRAHAM: Yes or no? No.

KELLY LOEFFLER: No.

KYLIE MAR: George Senator and co-owner of WNBA team the Atlanta Dream Kelly Loeffler appeared on "The Ingraham Angle" Wednesday night, where she said she would not give up ownership of the team, despite numerous calls for her to do so due to her opposition to Black Lives Matter.

After learning on Monday that players would wear warm-up jerseys that read Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name, Loeffler sent a letter to the commissioner denouncing Black Lives Matter. And she continued to do so Wednesday night.

KELLY LOEFFLER: The WNBA has embraced the Black Lives Matter political organization. This is a very divisive organization. This is an organization that seeks to destroy American principles. It's anti-Semitic. It doesn't support the nuclear family.

KYLIE MAR: Loeffler was quickly met with backlash from the Women's National Basketball Players Association.

While Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery, who had already decided to sit out the season to fight social injustice, tweeted, "I am pretty sad to see that my team ownership is not supportive of the movement and all it stands for. Was already sitting out the season, and this is an example of why."

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

NATASHA CLOUD: Atlanta in itself, their starting five is all Black females. To be a partial owner in that and, you know, 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.

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