First Female Coach of Men's Pro Hoops Team Fired

Unklescott · 01-30-2005, 11:19 PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 30) - Ashley McElhiney, the first female coach of a men's pro basketball team, was fired Saturday night after an on-court dispute with the co-owner of the Nashville Rhythm of the ABA.

Co-owner and CEO Sally Anthony was unhappy that McElhiney was playing Matt Freije after Anthony instructed that he be benched.

The argument over the former Vanderbilt star's playing time began during the third quarter and apparently escalated when Anthony attempted to remove McElhiney as coach during the team's 110-109 win over the Kansas City Knights. Anthony was eventually restrained by security guards and taken off the floor.

"I called my coach a couple of hours before the game and said, 'I don't want him playing,"' Anthony told The Tennessean after the game. "She ignored me. I walked onto the court and said I'm her boss and she needed to bench him."

McElhiney declined comment when reached at her home on Sunday by The Associated Press. The team is 17-7 so far this season under the 23-year-old, a former point guard for Vanderbilt who was taken in the third round of the 2003 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever but released before playing a game.

Rhythm forward Adam Sonn said he was shocked by the situation.

"It was something that shouldn't happen at any level of sports," Sonn told WKRN-TV of Nashville. "It's something that's sad to see."

Anthony, a singer who also has her own record label and a Web site promoting female artists, said she was just trying to protect her players.

"My co-owner and my GM decided to pay Matt Freije to have the name here," she said. "He came in for two games. Our players are struggling financially."

According to Anthony, Freije, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer, was paid $10,000 to play two games for the Rhythm.

Anthony also had a message for members of her staff and players who might dispute her actions.

"If they're willing to stick their neck out for Ashley, and that would be dumb, I would fold the team right now," she said. "If I say no it should be no. She's done. She's fired."

Assistant coach Scott Flatt said in a statement the team still considers McElhiney its head coach.

"Sally was one of three owners acting alone. As far as we're concerned Ashley is the coach of the team right now."

The other owners listed on the Nashville Rhythm's Web site are Justin Christian and Tony Bucher.
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/ar..._ccc=2&cid=942
______________________________ ______________________________ _____
I'll have to contact my buddies back home to get the scoop on this.

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Bill · 01-31-2005, 12:28 AM

Now that is just weird.

**Mariner** · 01-31-2005, 12:35 AM

The owner sounds like Georgina Steinbrenner. Ordering the coach not to play someone? Just plain odd.

Unklescott · 01-31-2005, 06:21 AM

She also got into it with an injured player's brother. From http://www.tennessean.com/sports/loc...nt_ID=64904608

Quote:

After the game, Anthony also got into a conflict with Jason Sonn — the brother of injured Rhythm player Adam Sonn. Anthony shoved Jason Sonn, used foul language, and directed an inappropriate hand gesture toward him.

She seems very strange to me. Here is her website for her music career. http://www.sallyanthony.com/about.php She is a singer who just released an album.

EvaLaruefan · 01-31-2005, 08:45 AM

The owner sounds like she has a tremendous ego. I find it ridiculous that a coach can't decide for herself who to play in a game. It's always "my way or the highway", someone needs to slap this woman. How focused is she on the basketball team if she's got a singing career and record company, puh-leeze!

Tirlittan · 01-31-2005, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unklescott

She also got into it with an injured player's brother. From http://www.tennessean.com/sports/loc...nt_ID=64904608

She seems very strange to me. Here is her website for her music career. http://www.sallyanthony.com/about.php She is a singer who just released an album.

Strange indeed. Her main promo picture looks like she would have been recently abused. That is her idea of a good selling point? Maybe the coach would be better of walking out, and taking the whole team with her to save them from this woman...

Unklescott · 02-02-2005, 07:07 AM

Nashville Co-Owner Anthony Rushed to Hospital Hours After On-Court Episode
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 1) - Hours after storming the court and firing her coach, Nashville Rhythm co-owner Sally Anthony was rushed to a hospital following a 911 call by a relative who said she had tried to "hurt herself."

A relative called 911 about 6AM ET Sunday to report that Anthony was hurting herself, according to a 911 tape obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"My sister-in-law is in her apartment right now, and she has taken some pills and mixed it with alcohol and taken scissors and cut up her arms," said the caller, who identified herself as Susan.

Hours earlier, Anthony marched onto the court in the third quarter of the Rhythm's 110-109 victory over Kansas City and demanded that coach Ashley McElhiney bench a player and then told the coach she was fired. Security guards had to escort Anthony off the court.

Anthony is one of three owners of Nashville's American Basketball Association franchise, which made McElhiney the first female coach of a men's professional team last May.

Anthony, an aspiring pop singer, and her husband and Rhythm co-owner Tony Bucher, did not respond to e-mail and fax messages seeking comment Tuesday.

The 911 caller told a dispatcher that Anthony had taken the anti-depressant Xanax, and was passing out every few seconds. The caller also told the dispatcher that her sister-in-law could become violent.

The dispatcher asked the caller if the she thought it was a suicide attempt.

The caller said, "I don't know if she really meant to kill herself. She definitely meant to hurt herself."

The 30-year-old Anthony was taken by ambulance to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she was treated for cuts on her arm and released Sunday. She was quoted in different reports as saying she fell and also that she was bitten by a dog.

The woman who called 911 did not immediately return a telephone message from the AP on Tuesday. A woman who identified herself as Anthony's mother told The Tennessean on Monday that it was "a total lie" to suggest that her daughter mixed pills with alcohol and tried to cut herself.

In the only official word from the team in the three days since the bizarre episode, the Rhythm owners issued a statement Tuesday apologizing to McElhiney.

"The ownership of the Nashville Rhythm would like to apologize to Ashley McElhiney, our fans, Lipscomb University, the city of Nashville, and our sponsors for the incident," the statement said.

The team said it was reviewing the incident and hoped to have a decision "on a course of action as soon as possible."

McElhiney, who has led the Rhythm to an 18-7 record, declined to comment to the AP Tuesday, but said she plans to issue a statement by Wednesday.

The team's two-sentence release didn't fully satisfy ABA co-founder and chairman Joe Newman, who on Tuesday named McElhiney as an assistant coach for the league's All-Star game Feb. 14 in Las Vegas.

Newman said the league won't step into a personnel issue, even though he has been inundated with complaints. But he is ordering the league and the team to donate basketballs to youth leagues in the city of Nashville.

He said the Rhythm was an excellent ABA franchise that has been embarrassed by one of its owners.

"She's gotten far more negative publicity for a person who's a recording artist in Nashville than she should get in a lifetime. She's gotten every bit that she deserved and more for the outburst," Newman said.

Management met with Rhythm players Monday night to discuss the situation, and the players were waiting for a final decision.

"We're confident things are going to be fine," center Adam Sonn said.
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/ar..._ccc=5&cid=942
______________________________ ______________________________ _____
Geez, why do I not find this surprising?

01-30-2005, 11:19 PM	#1
Unklescott Leukemia sucks Join Date: May 2003 Location: Columbus OH Posts: 20,535	First Female Coach of Men's Pro Hoops Team Fired NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 30) - Ashley McElhiney, the first female coach of a men's pro basketball team, was fired Saturday night after an on-court dispute with the co-owner of the Nashville Rhythm of the ABA. Co-owner and CEO Sally Anthony was unhappy that McElhiney was playing Matt Freije after Anthony instructed that he be benched. The argument over the former Vanderbilt star's playing time began during the third quarter and apparently escalated when Anthony attempted to remove McElhiney as coach during the team's 110-109 win over the Kansas City Knights. Anthony was eventually restrained by security guards and taken off the floor. "I called my coach a couple of hours before the game and said, 'I don't want him playing,"' Anthony told The Tennessean after the game. "She ignored me. I walked onto the court and said I'm her boss and she needed to bench him." McElhiney declined comment when reached at her home on Sunday by The Associated Press. The team is 17-7 so far this season under the 23-year-old, a former point guard for Vanderbilt who was taken in the third round of the 2003 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever but released before playing a game. Rhythm forward Adam Sonn said he was shocked by the situation. "It was something that shouldn't happen at any level of sports," Sonn told WKRN-TV of Nashville. "It's something that's sad to see." Anthony, a singer who also has her own record label and a Web site promoting female artists, said she was just trying to protect her players. "My co-owner and my GM decided to pay Matt Freije to have the name here," she said. "He came in for two games. Our players are struggling financially." According to Anthony, Freije, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer, was paid $10,000 to play two games for the Rhythm. Anthony also had a message for members of her staff and players who might dispute her actions. "If they're willing to stick their neck out for Ashley, and that would be dumb, I would fold the team right now," she said. "If I say no it should be no. She's done. She's fired." Assistant coach Scott Flatt said in a statement the team still considers McElhiney its head coach. "Sally was one of three owners acting alone. As far as we're concerned Ashley is the coach of the team right now." The other owners listed on the Nashville Rhythm's Web site are Justin Christian and Tony Bucher. http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/ar..._ccc=2&cid=942 ______________________________ ______________________________ _____ I'll have to contact my buddies back home to get the scoop on this. __________________ Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Francis Pharcellus Church Sept. 21, 1897

01-31-2005, 12:28 AM	#2
Bill Starbucks stalking Mod Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: TiVoland Posts: 12,070	Now that is just weird. __________________ "George Oscar Bluth II, aka GOB, featured magician in the best selling videotape, "Girls With Low Self Esteem" invites you to enter his world. -- Arrested Development, Season III, You should be watching this show! Click here to donate or volunteer for the American Red Cross

02-02-2005, 07:07 AM	#7
Unklescott Leukemia sucks Join Date: May 2003 Location: Columbus OH Posts: 20,535	ABA Owner Tries to 'Hurt Herself' After Firing Coach Nashville Co-Owner Anthony Rushed to Hospital Hours After On-Court Episode NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 1) - Hours after storming the court and firing her coach, Nashville Rhythm co-owner Sally Anthony was rushed to a hospital following a 911 call by a relative who said she had tried to "hurt herself." A relative called 911 about 6AM ET Sunday to report that Anthony was hurting herself, according to a 911 tape obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. "My sister-in-law is in her apartment right now, and she has taken some pills and mixed it with alcohol and taken scissors and cut up her arms," said the caller, who identified herself as Susan. Hours earlier, Anthony marched onto the court in the third quarter of the Rhythm's 110-109 victory over Kansas City and demanded that coach Ashley McElhiney bench a player and then told the coach she was fired. Security guards had to escort Anthony off the court. Anthony is one of three owners of Nashville's American Basketball Association franchise, which made McElhiney the first female coach of a men's professional team last May. Anthony, an aspiring pop singer, and her husband and Rhythm co-owner Tony Bucher, did not respond to e-mail and fax messages seeking comment Tuesday. The 911 caller told a dispatcher that Anthony had taken the anti-depressant Xanax, and was passing out every few seconds. The caller also told the dispatcher that her sister-in-law could become violent. The dispatcher asked the caller if the she thought it was a suicide attempt. The caller said, "I don't know if she really meant to kill herself. She definitely meant to hurt herself." The 30-year-old Anthony was taken by ambulance to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she was treated for cuts on her arm and released Sunday. She was quoted in different reports as saying she fell and also that she was bitten by a dog. The woman who called 911 did not immediately return a telephone message from the AP on Tuesday. A woman who identified herself as Anthony's mother told The Tennessean on Monday that it was "a total lie" to suggest that her daughter mixed pills with alcohol and tried to cut herself. In the only official word from the team in the three days since the bizarre episode, the Rhythm owners issued a statement Tuesday apologizing to McElhiney. "The ownership of the Nashville Rhythm would like to apologize to Ashley McElhiney, our fans, Lipscomb University, the city of Nashville, and our sponsors for the incident," the statement said. The team said it was reviewing the incident and hoped to have a decision "on a course of action as soon as possible." McElhiney, who has led the Rhythm to an 18-7 record, declined to comment to the AP Tuesday, but said she plans to issue a statement by Wednesday. The team's two-sentence release didn't fully satisfy ABA co-founder and chairman Joe Newman, who on Tuesday named McElhiney as an assistant coach for the league's All-Star game Feb. 14 in Las Vegas. Newman said the league won't step into a personnel issue, even though he has been inundated with complaints. But he is ordering the league and the team to donate basketballs to youth leagues in the city of Nashville. He said the Rhythm was an excellent ABA franchise that has been embarrassed by one of its owners. "She's gotten far more negative publicity for a person who's a recording artist in Nashville than she should get in a lifetime. She's gotten every bit that she deserved and more for the outburst," Newman said. Management met with Rhythm players Monday night to discuss the situation, and the players were waiting for a final decision. "We're confident things are going to be fine," center Adam Sonn said. http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/ar..._ccc=5&cid=942 ______________________________ ______________________________ _____ Geez, why do I not find this surprising? __________________ Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Francis Pharcellus Church Sept. 21, 1897

01-31-2005, 12:35 AM	#3
Mariner Parody Heaven Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: I'm just gonna have to get back to ya Posts: 15,701	The owner sounds like Georgina Steinbrenner. Ordering the coach not to play someone? Just plain odd.

01-31-2005, 08:45 AM	#5
EvaLaruefan Hockey is life! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Montreal,Canada Age: 34 Posts: 3,172	The owner sounds like she has a tremendous ego. I find it ridiculous that a coach can't decide for herself who to play in a game. It's always "my way or the highway", someone needs to slap this woman. How focused is she on the basketball team if she's got a singing career and record company, puh-leeze!