Courtney Williams, Atlanta Dream All-Star Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Courtney Williams, Atlanta Dream's lone WNBA All Star, will not be signed by the team again.
Williams was captured on film engaging in brawling with teammates outside of the club during the season.
The Dream's 5-foot-8 guard was the leader in assists, rebounds and points during the 2021 season.
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Courtney Williams played her last game for Atlanta Dream.
The Dream's first WNBA All-Star was a shining light on the court. Williams played every game for the Dream, leading the team in rebounds, assists, and points throughout the 2021 season.
Her off-court antics have clouded her in-game accomplishments, leaving her unrestricted free agency without the option of returning to Atlanta next season. The Dream's franchise informed Williams and Crystal Bradford that they would not receive a re-signing to their roster, Howard Megdal of The Next reported Tuesday night.
Williams (left), high fives Crystal Bradford. Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
Williams and Bradford were part of a group of players who fought outside a dayclub in May, just after the 2021 season started. Kalani Brown, a 6-foot-7 center, was also part the scrum.
Although the physical altercation occurred five months ago, the footage went viral earlier in the week. The tape shows Williams and Bradford fighting with a group women as they stand near a "Tenders and Bites" food truck. In the clip, the Dream's only 2021 All-Star can be seen throwing punches.
Bradford, who was involved in the physical fight in 2021 after playing 24 games with Dream, was also involved. Brown seemed more interested in putting an end to the fight than she was in throwing punches.
-Chennedy Carters Leg Sleeve (@TweenTween3) October 3, 2021
Insider was told by a source familiar with the franchise that Williams' girlfriend caused the initial altercation. Although it is not clear who took the first swing in the altercation, Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard, took matters into her own hands. Her teammates stepped in to support her. Williams posted briefly a YouTube video of the fight with her side of it, but it was removed before Insider could view its contents.
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The situation was well known by the team leadership long before the video of it emerged. The melee was a danger to the players' health and the franchise's potential success. Their presence at a dayclub also violated COVID-19 protocols.
The Dream stated that the behavior shown in the video was unacceptable and did not reflect our values as an organisation in a statement sent to Insider Monday. "We take this matter seriously and are working with the league in order to get more information and decide next steps."
Williams was the Atlanta Dream's leader in assists, rebounds and points during the 2021 season. AP Photo/John Bazemore
The franchise informed Williams and Bradford the next day that they were not welcome back to the team. Marcus Crenshaw, the CEO of Fam Sports Agency, who represents both players, confirmed this during an Instagram Live interview Tuesday night with Khristina Williams from Girls Talk Sports TV.
Crenshaw wondered why the team did not take action when the video was made available to the public.
Crenshaw stated, "I spoke with Court [Williams]". "She knows that the team didn’t do anything. So I didn’t think about it. It was a brawl. We got out of it. Nothing happened." She was not happy when the team failed to do anything.
He said, "She didn’t intentionally put that out there."
Insider was told Monday by a source that the team had resolved the issue internally. However, the details of the resolution are still not public. Williams played in all 32 of the Dream's games this season so it doesn't appear that players were subject to repercussions that extended into gameday.
It is not clear if other WNBA teams will consider signing Williams or Bradford in the offseason. Williams also has a history of physical abuse with a former teammate from her time with Connecticut Sun.
Insider has the original article.
