"WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert promised players Friday that she and the league will show leadership in fighting against the abusive discourse that players experience on social media.
Engelbert also apologized to the players for an interview she gave Monday on CNBC in which she focused on the popularity of rivalries but did not condemn the abusive rhetoric players have faced.
"I was asked a question about WNBA rivalries and the dark side of social media and race, and simply put, my answer missed the mark and I'm sorry," Engelbert wrote to the players in a letter obtained by ESPN. "I regret that I didn't express, in a clear and definitive way, condemnation of the hateful speech that is all too often directed at WNBA players on social media."
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"In Friday's letter, Engelbert pledged that the league will always do that going forward.
"I should have stated directly and unequivocally that hate speech is harmful," she wrote. "This is a teachable moment and one I embrace with humility. There is absolutely no room for racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of hate in the WNBA or anywhere.
"I know many of you have been dealing with it for a long time. I want us as a league to do our part to change the too often toxic and abusive nature of social media discourse."
Jackson said that in the past, the WNBPA has worked with other professional players' associations on a project that studied the targeted on-line abuse of elite athletes and ways to protect them as workers.
"Perhaps the WNBPA and the WNBA, their corporate partners and other relevant stakeholders can come together and consider potential solutions and maybe even lead on this issue," Jackson said."
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"Speaking out and taking action to address injustice is in the DNA of the WNBA," Engelbert wrote. "For our entire history, it has been core to the work we all do.""