PLAYER FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST WNBA, ACES
WNBA player Dearica Hamby filed a gender discrimination complaint last week with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the league and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Washington Post.
In the complaint, Hamby alleges that the Aces and their storied coach, Becky Hammon, retaliated against her after she told them she was pregnant, creating an “abusive and hostile” work environment before ultimately trading her to the Los Angeles Sparks because of her pregnancy.
The WNBA, Hamby said, subsequently failed to properly investigate her allegations. Hamby spoke up about her “traumatic” trade experience with the Aces earlier this year, prompting an investigation from the WNBA. The league ultimately imposed a penalty against the Aces and suspended Hammon for two games.
But Hamby’s complaint, and her naming of the league as a respondent, is an escalation of her public complaints — and a blow for the WNBA, which is preparing to announce a much-anticipated expansion team today for the San Francisco Bay area ahead of the Finals, which begin Sunday in Las Vegas.
More sports and courts Cristiano Ronaldo’s
lawyer urged a U.S. appeals court to reject an appeal and
uphold stiff sanctions against a lawyer for a woman trying to force the international soccer star to pay millions more than the $375,000 in hush money he paid her after she accused him of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009.
The woman’s lawyer is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the dismissal of the case in June 2022 and reopen the civil lawsuit she first filed in 2018.
A ruling could be weeks or possibly months away.
Former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean said he is pursuing arbitration against Andretti Global because he is not being brought back for a third season in the IndyCar Series.
Golf
LGPA Tour pro Lexi Thompson will compete against men at the PGA
Tour’s upcoming event in Las Vegas. The Shriners Children’s Open announced Thompson received an exemption into its tournament that begins a week from today at TPC Summerlin. Thompson will become the seventh woman to compete in a PGA Tour event.
Colleges
The NCAA Division I Council approved a smaller window during which football and basketball players can enter their names into the transfer portal and still be eligible to play at a new school the following season.
The decision shaves the timeframe from 60 days to 45. The council also voted to eliminate caps on how many players Division I football teams can sign in a year, though overall scholarship limits will remain in place.
The council also approved a package of proposals that would regulate name, image and likeness compensation for athletes and another that recommends stricter penalties for individuals who commit rules violations.
LSU safety Greg Brooks has been diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer, his family and the hospital caring for him announced. Brooks had emergency surgery three weeks ago to remove a tumor between his cerebellum and brainstem.
Motorsports
NASCAR added Atlanta Motor Speedway and the road course at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York to the playoffs as part of the 2024 Cup Series schedule. Many of the celebrated changes to the schedule had already been announced: Bristol Motor Speedway is removing the dirt for its spring race, Indianapolis Motor Speedway is returning NASCAR to his historic oval and Iowa Speedway will finally host a Cup race.
Tennis
Australian tennis player Marc Polmans has apologized for hitting a ball into the face of the chair umpire during final round qualifying at the Shanghai Masters, which led to him being immediately disqualified.
Jannik Sinner won his third title of the year by beating Daniil Mevedev 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) at the China Open.