The Los Angeles Sparks has announced that general manager Penny Toler has been relieved of her duties following her admission of using the “N-word” in a locker room speech to players.
While the Sparks announcement offered no official reason for the dismissal of 53-year-old Toler, it happened after the general manager addressed the players in the locker room and admittedly used the “N-word” in her speech. The Sparks just got swept in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) semi-finals against the Connecticut Sun.
Sparks Managing Partner and Governor Eric Holoman will replace Toler on an interim basis as the team begins a national search for the next general manager. Holoman said: "On behalf of ownership and the entire Sparks organization, I'd like to thank Penny Toler for a successful and historic tenure with the organization. Penny is a foundational figure in the growth of the WNBA and helped lead our franchise to perennial playoff success and multiple titles. We wish her nothing but the best moving forward."
In a statement to ESPN, Toler said: "It's unfortunate I used that word. I shouldn't. Nobody should. By no means did I call my players the N-word. I'm not saying that I couldn't have used it in a context, but it wasn't directed at any of my players."
Some players have expressed dismay at the way they were sworn at and threatened with being replaced. However, Toler argued that she was just "trying to give us obviously a spirited speech to get everybody going" and that she "didn't mean to offend anyone."
Toler was a founding member of the WNBA and she actually scored the first basket in league history in 1997 as a Sparks player. She retired in 1999 and has served as the team’s general manager ever since.
The Los Angeles Sparks has appeared in 18 playoffs and won three WNBA championships during Toler’s tenure.
