NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales during an NFL International Series game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
By Sean Keeley on

The knives are out for WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, and it seems like everyone is coming out of the woodwork to share their disappointing or embarrassing story about her.

Already seen as a combative force against players in the women’s basketball league’s era of exponential financial and ratings growth, Engelbert was criticized by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier in a stunning press conference that called into question the commissioner’s judgment and leadership. In the wake of that, several similar discussions have also occurred, as well as a report indicating that Engelbert was likely to leave once the current CBA negotiations were completed.

On Wednesday, even ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a renowned champion of women’s sports, was calling for Engelbert to step down.

Before that, Stacey Dales, a senior reporter for the NFL Network and a former WNBA All-Star, shared her own Engelbert story, which seemed to reflect what we’d heard from many other current and former players.

“I hosted a prominent WNBA event a couple of years ago. ‘Welcome to the league, Toronto,'” Dales wrote on X. “The Toronto team intro — it was exceptional. The TO people were amazing. I did it for free. I never once heard from Cathy or the WNBA or league in general. Nothing. Not a single bump on their social media. Frankly, it seemed like she didn’t know I played for the league at all. I walked away wondering if she even knew me. I have never heard from the league since I left the game.”

“The NFL treats me so kindly. Not like this,” she added.

Engelbert became the commissioner of the WNBA in July 2019, following her four-year stint as the CEO of Deloitte.

Dales, who joined NFL Network in 2009 as a host and reporter following her WNBA career, also shared her thoughts on Collier’s press conference, saying it was an “incredibly profound, powerful, and detailed statement from one of the league’s premier athletes and class all the way.”

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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