Source: Ron Hoskins / Getty
WNBA player Candice Wiggins refuses to back down following her assertion that she was harassed by gay players because she is heterosexual. Although she stirred a whirlwind of controversy, Wiggins said her comments “freed my spirit,” reports the San Diego Union Tribune.
Wiggins told the publication that she received positive reaction from those close to her, as well as private thanks from other players who also experienced what she did.
“There’s nothing that I would take back. I’m not really in a position of taking things back right now,” Wiggins, 30, said. “I’m going forward.
“I know it sounds heartless, but I don’t care. I understand what my purpose and the intent of my words are, and I’m responsible for my words. I’m not responsible for how people perceived them.
“I’m not sorry for saying what needs to be said,” Wiggins said. “And I’m not patting myself on the back. It wasn’t brave, but it would have been cowardly for me not to do it.”
Wiggins ruffled feathers with her “98 percent” of WNBA players are gay statement, but she said she used that figure more to illustrate a point.
“It was my way to illustrate the isolation that I felt personally,” Wiggins said. “I felt like the 2 percent versus the 98 percent. It felt that way to me. And it’s not just the players. It was the coaches. It was the leaders.”
The WNBA has declined to respond to Wiggins’ comments.
Meanwhile, Imani Boyette, a WNBA Chicago Sky player and married daughter of former USC and WNBA player Pam McGee, wrote an 842-word open letter to Wiggins on her website.
“I was sad because that was your reality,” Boyette wrote. “I’m sorry you were bullied and felt that way during your career. Bullying is serious and no one deserves it. I hope you know that says more about the people who chose to mistreat you than you yourself.”
Boyette continued, “Your article hurt me Candice, both as a fellow WNBA player and as a little girl who looked up to you. You chose to typecast an entire league instead of speaking your peace, telling your truth. You chose to put all of us down, fans included. How can you turn your back on the entity that gave you your career, your upcoming book, and your worldwide acclaim? I think that’s selfish.”
Boyette concluded, “I have never experienced the bullying you spoke about, and I hope no one else ever does. Thank you for telling your truth.”
Check out the clip below of Wiggins speaking her truth:
SOURCE: EURWeb.com
Article Courtesy of EURWeb
Picture Courtesy of Ron Hoskins and Getty Images
Video Courtesy of KARE-TV Minneapolis/St. Paul, YouTube, and EURWeb
