WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s decision to steer clear of penalizing Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers for violating the league’s gambling and betting rules has sparked considerable social media outrage.
On Wednesday, the league belatedly removed a clip of the Atlanta Dream‘s Reese betting against the Dallas Wings‘ Paige Bueckers. Amid massive backlash, Engelbert said that posting the video “missed the mark” but refused to punish two of the WNBA’s biggest and most attractive draws.
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After Reese and Bueckers got away with nothing more than a reminder, a former WWE wrestler reacted to the situation.
Hurricane Helms Reacts as WNBA Takes No Action in Angel Reese-Paige Bueckers Betting Controversy
The WNBA’s social media team shared a video of Reese and Bueckers betting $400 for Wednesday’s Dream-Wings showdown. Since wagering/betting is prohibited under Article IV, Section 5 of the new CBA, calls mounted for Engelbert to punish both young stars.
But people waiting for the commissioner to penalize the two rising faces of the league were disappointed when Engelbert only acknowledged the mistake in sharing the video.
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As her best action, the league’s top executive said that she will use the situation as “an opportunity to re-emphasize with players involved that conversations about wagering on WNBA games, even when intended as a joke, can have negative consequences.”
Engelbert’s statement prompted former WWE star Hurricane Helms to react.
“Shocker,” Helms wrote.
According to the new CBA rules, the commissioner has the “sole discretion” to punish or not a player “guilty of wagering (directly or indirectly), or of offering or attempting to wager, money or anything of value on the outcome, score, or any other aspect of any WNBA Competition.” She notably chose to let the Reese-Bueckers gaffe slide.
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Interestingly, Engelbert’s statement mentioned that the Reese-Bueckers wagering was “intended as a joke.” That didn’t seem to be the case when the Dream star was asked to comment on the bet in the postgame interview.
“Yeah, I’ll be requesting my Apple Pay after this,” the All-Star forward said.
As criticism continued to build over the reported rules violation, Reese appeared unfazed. After the game, she celebrated the win on X with a post featuring the hashtag “#cuatrocientos,” drawing even more attention from fans already debating the controversy.
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Helms wasn’t the only one who ripped the WNBA for its mistake and for Engelbert’s decision to let Reese and Bueckers get away scot-free.
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham called the situation “stupid.” Gunther Eagleman, another political commentator like Ingraham, tweeted that the WNBA’s “product is built on drama, double standards, and constant controversy.” He added that “women’s sports deserve better than this circus.”
Lately, it feels like the WNBA has been embroiled in one controversy after another. With the spotlight nice and bright on Engelbert’s tenure as Commissioner, incidents like these will likely serve as evidence when her contract is up.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
