US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe delivers stinger to Cathy Engelbert over WNBA's handling of racism: "Feel like she failed"

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the rest of the WNBA's league executives and staff members were tasked with maneuvering through a massive increase in viewership and interest surrounding the league this season. While the league rose to the occasion in many ways, Engelbert came up short recently during a TV appearance.

According to US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe, Engelbert came up short when it came to addressing racism. During the latest episode of Rapinoe's "A Touch More" podcast, co-hosted with former WNBA star Sue Bird, Rapinoe opened up about recent events.

Specifically, Rapinoe looked at the season from the perspective of how Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA as a whole handled the duty to protect and grow the league from a business perspective, and also from a player-wellness perspective.

“The WNBA and league office, and Cathy’s role specifically, is basically to protect and shepard the league both from a business perspective, from a player welfare perspective, from a health and safety perspective, and from a growth and investment perspective. And this is where I feel like she failed.”

Most recently, Engelbert came under fire last month after an appearance on CNBC. In response to a question about how the league handles "dark" and "menacing" comments from fans, Cathy Engelbert referenced the on-court rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and how rivalries help fuel growth.

Her lack of commentary on the hatred and vitriol players have faced online didn't sit well with many WNBA players, leading to Engelbert sending out a letter to the WNBA's players apologizing for not condemning racism, sexism and homophobia.

Tara Sullivan believes this season Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA proved the league wasn't ready for prime time

As the WNBA playoffs continue, with teams competing in second-round series in pursuit of a WNBA title, there has been plenty of talk surrounding the first-round series between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever. In Game 1 of the series, Caitlin Clark was accidentally struck in the face by DiJonai Carrington.

When Clark attempted to make a pass, Carrington reached out to deflect it, hitting Clark in the eye during her follow-through motion. The following day, Clark made it clear that she didn't believe the hit wasn't intentional, laughing off a question regarding the intentions behind Carrington's play.

In addition, DiJonai Carrington was asked whether the blow was intentional by longtime reporter Christine Brennan, who followed up by asking Carrington whether she and a teammate were laughing about the situation moments later after they were seen on video appearing to laugh.

The exchange, which lasted less than a minute, then led to the WNBPA releasing a statement calling out Brennan for attempting to bait a player into participating and fueling an agenda that was described as racist, homophobic, and misogynistic.

In addition, the statement accused Brennan of abusing her media privileges and stated that she didn't deserve the press pass issued to her. Longtime WNBA reporter Tara Sullivan, who covered the first-ever WNBA game, believes the situation was further proof that the league wasn't ready for the prime time this season.

Among an increased interest surrounding the league and its players, Sullivan believes that Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA as a whole didn't properly address the controversial narratives that plagued this season.