Renee Montgomery has taken up many roles since she retired. The two-time WNBA champion has set up her own foundation, runs a production company, and is the co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. But she has one more role that is drawing eyes. The former WNBA player is also the studio analyst for USA Network, and this has brought the conflict-of-interest conversation in the WNBA Finals coverage.
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USA Network is set to air Game 3 between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals on Oct. 21, and Montgomery is set to be the studio analyst for the network. Given her stake in one of the teams, people can assume that the former player-turned-owner is biased in her opinion. In light of this unique situation, WNBA analyst Robin Lundberg brought up a parallel situation from the NFL.
“I believe that it’s certainly possible for someone to call the game without bias…It is possible to harness those and not have that influence your analysis. That I do believe,” Lundberg said. “But when you’re talking about the way it’s perceived, the NFL did put these restrictions on Tom Brady.”
Tom Brady is a game analyst for Fox Sports and the part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. He is not given access to practice facilities. He is also not allowed to visit other teams’ practices. However, in Montgomery’s case, she has revealed that neither the network nor the league has put any restriction on her. But Brady’s and Montgomery’s roles also differ.
She added that the situation would have come under more scrutiny had she been calling games or been one of the game analysts who have access to players and coaches before the game, but the studio analyst doesn’t. Montgomery, however, acknowledged that given her position, she understands why the situation would warrant public scrutiny.
Robin Lundberg flags Renee Montgomery’s previous comments
While Lundberg didn’t have any objection to Montgomery being studio analyst for the game, he did highlight that she has shown special affinity towards the Dream players.
“I did notice when Renee Montgomery was calling the FIBA World Cup games, she would use ATL Barbie. Not that there’s anything wrong with using the nickname, but it did stand out to me when I was watching. Obviously, that terminology and phrasing were used specifically in regard to Angel Reese, and obviously not dropping nicknames for other players on the team or other players that were involved in the tournament,” he added.
Lundberg also brought up Montgomery’s past interview to question her neutrality. She had once said in an interview that she would stick up for her team and mention them when she could.
But should her past statements as an owner be used to question her neutrality as an analyst?
Renee Montgomery defends her neutrality in conflict of interest debate
Even Lundberg admitted that it is not possible for anyone to be completely unbiased. In some sense, we all are. However, doubting someone who has spent 11 years as a pro to be biased in her analysis of the game is also doubting their professionalism. Montgomery knows what her job is inside the studio.
“I love the sport so much that you have to cover it a certain way,” she told Front Office Sports. “Like I understand the effort, I understand the grind, I understand all the sacrifice that went into a player having a good game. So whether or not that player is playing for the Atlanta Dream doesn’t matter. I have to analyze the game for what I see.”
USA Network didn’t air any of the semifinal games between the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty. Montgomery celebrated with the Dream on the sideline after they clinched their Finals spot. Even now, she believed that if there was one, the company would have informed her beforehand.
“I’m sure that if I had companies that I worked for that felt like there was a bias, I’m sure that they would let me know,” Montgomery said.
This won’t necessarily be the last time that Montgomery would be part of USA Network’s coverage in this WNBA Finals. If the series moves to Game 6, which is scheduled in Atlanta, Montgomery will give the studio coverage.
Renee Montgomery spent 11 years in the WNBA playing for the Connecticut Sun, the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm. She played her last two seasons, 2018 and 2019, with the Atlanta Dream. Montgomery was an All-Star in 2011 and won the Sixth Woman of the Year Award in 2012. She averaged 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals in her career.