JINHA

NEWS CENTER - American basketball player Angel McCoughtry announced on Instagram that Turkish team Fenerbahçe threatened her because of her sexuality. She shared the story of her trials with LGBTrights association and news website Kaos GL.

Angel McCoughtry, current WNBA player and former star of Turkish women's basketball team Fenerbahçe from 2010-2015, announced via Instagram that the team had threatened her job if she didn’t write a letter on social media saying that she did not have a relationship with Brande Elise.

The accomplished basketball player explained that the problem with Fenerbahce started when daily newspaper Hürriyet published a news article about McCoughtry’sengagement with her girlfriend. They forced her to claim that she was suing Hürriyetfor slander; otherwise she would lose her contract.

"IsfendiyarZulfikari [Women’s Basketball Branch Deputy President] called me a ‘fool,'" she said."But I wrote the stupid letter because I was worried about my job."

“I should never have to lie about my private life,” said McCoughtry. “They stopped paying me afterwards. And I knew I had to go. Me and Brande were very uncomfortable." The team's harassment also extended to bringing in a new player and lying to fans about Angel's situation.

She underlined that she did not have any problems with her teammates and that "the team was always great," but that she was upset for not getting support from the administration. The team managers later covered up the event and claimed Angel had left voluntarily.

McCoughtry said she will be suing the team for the disrespect and late pay. She hopes to bring the truth about the harassment out into the open.

(nt/cm)