Brianna Turner, a former player for the Indiana Fever, has alleged that the organization “encouraged” her and her teammates to remain silent after a male staff member was fired for sexual harassment during the 2025 season. Turner, now with the Las Vegas Aces, made the claims on the social media platform X while commenting on the ongoing debate surrounding transgender athletes in women's sports.
"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," Turner posted. She added that sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and racism are all issues facing the league.
The Indiana Fever responded to Turner's allegations in a statement, asserting that the protection of players and staff and the maintenance of a respectful workplace are top priorities. "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," the team stated. The Fever also indicated that they do not comment on personnel matters involving former employees.
A source close to the situation, however, told The Post that the incident involved a "low-level" staff member making an "inappropriate comment" in a private conversation with another staffer. This source characterized the comment as "vulgar and disrespectful" but stated that no crime or harm occurred, and the comment was not made in the presence of any players. The staffer was reportedly terminated the same day the incident was reported. According to the source, players were informed immediately and were not told they could not discuss the matter, and local authorities were not involved.
Turner's allegations surfaced amidst renewed attention on comments made by Fever star Sophie Cunningham regarding transgender athletes. Cunningham stated in an ESPN profile that she wanted to "protect young girls in the locker room" and that "they shouldn’t have to go against biological men." She later described her beliefs on the matter as "common sense."
The Indiana Fever released a statement addressing Cunningham's comments, emphasizing that players are "thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices" and that "those views are their own." The team also reiterated its commitment to "welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect."
While Turner did not name Cunningham in her posts, she pushed back on criticisms regarding the inclusion of transgender athletes. "A tiny minority of the population identifies as trans, yet they are always a trending topic unfortunately," Turner wrote. "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."