Two teenage girls claimed that Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton yelled and cussed at them on Tuesday night as a result of their signs supporting Sophie Cunningham following her comments speaking out against transgender women playing in women’s sports. Now, Cunningham has broken her silence on the incident.
In a statement on social media, Cunningham called Keaton’s actions “truly embarrassing” as she praised the teenage girls and promised them gifts.
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Keaton Yelled at Cunningham Supporters
After Tuesday night’s game, the two teenage fans claimed that they were yelled at by a woman identified as Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton, who they said was “screaming and cussing” at them for their signs supporting Cunningham.
“Well, we were just sitting there with our signs that said like, ‘We love Sophie,’ like, ‘Thank you Sophie for speaking up,'” one of the young girls recounted, via Brandi Kruse. “And so we were holding on, just watching the game, again, like, we were being super great, we hadn’t said anything to anyone else, we were being super respectful, we were just holding our signs and cheering for both teams, and this lady, older lady comes up to us.”
The teenager said that the interaction left her in tears.
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“Yeah, I’ve never been yelled at like that. I mean, I’ve had people hate me on the internet, but like it doesn’t really affect me as much because it’s just people online,” she said. “But that just took me by surprise because I thought she was going to be nice and then she starts like screaming at us and cussing at us.”
Keaton Suspended
On Wednesday afternoon, the Storm addressed the situation by releasing a public statement acknowledging the incident and offering an apology.
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened,” Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said in a statement released Wednesday. “Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”
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According to a report from Roberta Rodrigues, the WNBA has fined Keaton and barred her from attending the Storm’s next five home games because of the incident.
“Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton has been fined and suspended from attending the team’s next five home games after last night’s incident involving Fever fans, the WNBA confirmed,” Rodrigues wrote in a post on X.
As a result of the suspension, Keaton will not be able to attend another Storm home game until September.
‘Truly Embarrassing’
While Cunningham was not made available for comment after Tuesday’s game, she addressed the incident on social media late on Wednesday night, calling Keaton’s actions “truly embarrassing.”
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“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind,” Cunningham wrote in a post on X. “Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon. yay for gifts.”
“Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is,” Cunningham wrote.
The WNBA’s decision to suspend Keaton was met with widespread outrage from fans on social media.
The post ‘Truly embarrassing of the co-owner’: Sophie Cunningham breaks her silence on Seattle Storm incident appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
