Cathy Engelbert’s Response Not Entirely Rooted in Napheesa Collier’s Announcement – Report

Addressing the Caitlin Clark-sized Elephant in the room, Engelbert also said, “Obviously, I did not make those comments. Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game… There was a lot of inaccuracies reported out there, and I certainly did not say that.”

When questioned about whether she plans to stay on as WNBA commissioner beyond the current collective bargaining agreement, Cathy Engelbert responded firmly, “Never been a quitter, never shied away from a tough situation,” before continuing, “My staff, and the staff of the teams, and the owners in this league, have made tons of investments to get to where we are today. And so I’m not going to shy away. I’m the commissioner of this league, the leader of this league… there’s so many more things that we can do together, and I hope that the players see that.”

So, yes, Ayala and DeMita are right in thinking that things became about Engelbert more than they did about the players’ concerns or the finals, for that matter. Even though the commissioner has tried to smooth over the situation a little, it seems like there has been little impact from it.  “It was telling that Engelbert’s best defense when asked whether she’d said the players should be, “on their knees, thanking their lucky stars” for a new, $2 billion media rights deal was to claim “inaccuracy” about what she’d said. Yet Engelbert wouldn’t say what those inaccuracies were or where they occurred, instead deflecting to how tough the criticism has been on her and her family.”Nancy Armour wrote in her Opinion piece on USA Today. 

Will Cathy Engelbert Step Down as WNBA Commissioner?

In a recent episode of First Take, famous Sports Commentator Stephen A Smith had said, “Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the league… let me say for the record: You should resign. You need to resign. Period.” Usually, when so many voices—from both inside and outside the league—call for a resignation, the demand is met. However, in the case of Cathy Engelbert, it seems like she has no plans of stepping down just yet.

In her press conference, she was asked about the resignation, and she denied all the rumors. She said, “Obviously, I’ve never been a quitter… never shied away from tough situations… I’ve always been someone who believes in the fact that we have, if there’s things we need to fix, we’re going to fix them.” However, these comments have done little to quash the rumors about her firing as the commissioner.

Engelbert’s statements throughout the press conference came across as formal, detached, and surprisingly out of touch, especially at a moment when fans and athletes alike were expecting genuine accountability. The fallout has been immediate. Reports indicate that Collier has canceled the planned meeting, and the rift between her, her supporters, and Engelbert’s office has only widened, only hinting strongly at the tension between the league and its talent.