Things haven’t been going well if you’re a Phoenix Mercury fan. Diana Taurasi has retired, and key players like Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner have moved on. The team lost four of its five starters from last season, with Kahleah Copper being the lone starter still around. While the on-court outlook seems understandably shaky, the off-court situation is reportedly getting even worse… Mat Ishbia, who owns the Suns and the Mercury, is currently facing all kinds of trouble.

As reported by Front Office Sports, former Phoenix Suns Director of Security Gene Traylor’s representatives filed a lawsuit against the franchise and its affiliated companies, citing racial discrimination and a failure to implement proper security protocols.

Gene Traylor had joined the team in January 2023. In the complaint, he mentions that one of his primary roles on the job was to identify “safety, financial and reputational risks” for the Suns, per ESPN. Adhering to the same, Traylor submitted a presentation to the upper management, outlining specific incidents, including the three presented below.

• In March 2023, an unnamed former part-time employee was found to have stolen more than $40,000 in shoes, merchandise and apparel during their employment.
• In April 2023, a “disgruntled subject” interrupted a Suns photo-op with team executives, including team president Josh Bartelstein.
• And in June 2023, a political influencer “harassed” former Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, delaying a team flight by 3½ hours.

In a major part of the lawsuit, Traylor also then goes on to claim that the Suns’ management retaliated against him after his presentation, including having him demoted nearly a year later. Traylor claims his demotion “was not performance-based but rather a direct result of his identity as an educated, accomplished Black professional who is respected in his field—qualities that intimidated Defendant and their leadership.”

Gene Traylor pointed to serious lapses in security that, in his view, led to Brittney Griner being harassed by a YouTuber at an airport in 2023. That troubling incident ultimately resulted in Griner receiving clearance to travel via charter flights. But Traylor believes the whole situation could’ve been avoided if his warnings had been acted upon earlier.

Further, in an email to Front Office Sports, Stacey Mitch, the team’s Senior Vice President of Communications, responded to the lawsuit by calling the latest allegations “delusional and categorically false.”

But this isn’t the first time the franchise has come under fire. The team has been sued multiple times in federal court over claims of workplace mismanagement–ranging from racial discrimination and retaliatory firings to s—-l harassment. In fact, four separate lawsuits have been filed since November of last year, all occurring after Mat Ishbia took over ownership in December 2022.

What happened to Brittney Griner in 2023? Everything you need to know about the sudden airport altercation

In June 2023, Brittney Griner, and her teammates were confronted by a YouTube personality in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport before flying to Indiana after the team played twice in Arlington, Texas. Alex Stein, a Dallas native who had previously garnered eyeballs for confronting politicians, posted a snippet of him yelling at Griner as she walked through the airport.

Phoenix’s security personnel told the police Stein “seemed aggressive and made some inappropriate comments” to Griner, according to the report. The security personnel added Stein got physical with him, but he didn’t want to press charges.

“Since the @WNBA is writing press releases about me…here is a snippet of my interaction with Brittney Griner today….” Stein wrote on X. He had previously also posted a photograph and wrote, “I just met my favorite WNBA player. Video coming soon.”

This incident was nipped in the bud and Griner was approved to fly charter for WNBA games.

“As we gather additional information about today’s incident at the Dallas airport, it has come to our attention that this was orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur. His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate,” the league said in a statement.

Griner’s teammate Brianna Turner posted on social media: “Player safety while traveling should be at the forefront. People following with cameras saying wild remarks is never acceptable. Excessive harassment. Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better.”

The WNBPA then went on to suggest that the Dallas incident is more evidence that charters are needed for teams throughout the W season. “What BG and all of her Phoenix teammates experienced today was a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe. Everyone who was paying attention knew this would happen. We could have and should have been more proactive.

“Allowing teams to fly charter is ONLY about player health and safety, and until the league and teams take this issue seriously, situations like this will continue to occur. Every commercial flight forced upon our players is a threat to their health and safety.”