The controversy surrounding Sophie Cunningham continues to dominate WNBA headlines, with Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton getting suspended. Keaton had verbally accosted two teenage female fans, one of whom held a sign that said: “Thank you, Sophie, for speaking up for girls!” The incident even caught the attention of personalities outside the WNBA, including author J.K. Rowling and former tennis star Martina Navratilova. Following the outcry, reporter Roberta F. Rodrigues has confirmed that the WNBA has suspended Keaton.

“These young women are heroines. They’re peacefully protesting against the grotesque unfairness of men playing in women’s sport. The only people who are ‘f—— insane’ here are those making a mockery of fair sport for women and trying to bully girls like this into silence,” Rowling wrote while sharing ‘unDivided’ podcast host Brandi Kruse’s post featuring the two teenagers.

Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova shared a different post by public speaker and writer Kara Dansky following the Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm game. Although Navratilova didn’t make a statement, she praised Sophie Cunningham and her fans for standing by their views, posting an applauding emoticon in the caption.

Among other personalities speaking up on what happened at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday night was XX-XY Athletics founder and CEO Jennifer Sey. Besides condemning the Seattle Storm co-owner’s action, she praised the girls for their courage.

“I don’t know why they don’t see it. They are not feminists. They are not standing up for women and girls. They are an obstacle… I’m so proud of those two young girls, one of whom I know. Her name is Annalie Wilson, and she’s a member of our NIL athlete team.”

The WNBA’s disciplinary move came after the initial social media reaction and Seattle Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder’s apology on behalf of the franchise.

“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.” 

However, the apology didn’t seem to have any sway in the final decision, as Celeste Keaton won’t be able to attend the next five home games and will have to pay an undisclosed fine.

The game itself was highly charged, as fans from both sides of the argument showed up outside the arena and were in attendance. In fact, the Celeste Keaton incident wasn’t the only instance of a disagreement.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson shared a video of a different incident, writing: “Footage obtained by @FoxNews shows the young Sophie Cunningham fans also face a confrontation with a grown man and a woman with him.”

However, only time will tell whether the Seattle Storm issuing a public apology and the WNBA taking action will help calm the debate around the topic.