The Seattle Storm is conducting an inquiry into its coaching staff amid claims of player mistreatment, following a report from the Chicago Sun-Times released on Friday.

According to the Sun-Times, the team has engaged an independent law firm to investigate allegations that coaches bullied and harassed players based on their performance during practices and games last season. ESPN has also confirmed this story.

The YSL News Sports team has reached out to both the Storm and WNBA for official comments.

Noelle Quinn took over as the head coach of the Storm in May 2021, following the retirement of Dan Hughes. Quinn has a long-standing connection with the team, having played five seasons in Seattle before becoming an assistant on Hughes’ coaching staff in 2019. She was elevated to associate head coach during the Storm’s 2020 championship season, which featured Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, before becoming head coach.

In her fourth season as head coach, Quinn led the Storm to a 25-15 record before they were eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first playoff round. Her coaching staff includes assistants Pokey Chatman, Ebony Hoffman, and Perry Huang. Notably, Storm star Nneka Ogwumike has served as the president of the WNBA Players Association since 2016.

After the Storm’s season concluded in September, Quinn expressed her intention to collaborate with an executive coach during the off-season to “enhance my leadership skills and focus on my coaching journey.” She also expressed pride in the team’s “comeback season.”

The Seattle Storm is not the first team to encounter allegations of player mistreatment. In August, Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks filed a federal lawsuit against the Aces, claiming discrimination and retaliation surrounding her pregnancy before her trade in January 2023. Coach Becky Hammon of the Aces rebutted these claims.