Ohio man arrested, charged with two counts of assault for throwing sex toy during Wings vs. Liberty
The man was charged with two counts of assault after the toy hit a 12-year-old girl
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A 32-year-old Ohio man was arrested for throwing a sex toy at a WNBA matchup between the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty on Aug. 5, police announced on Thursday. Charles Burgess has been charged with two counts of assault after the toy hit a 12-year-old girl.
Burgess' toss is unfortunately just one of several instances that have taken place in the WNBA this season. In certain cases, the sex toys actually reached the playing surface and caused delays, such as during the Indiana Fever's matchup vs. the Los Angeles Sparks, when Sophie Cunningham was almost hit with the object.
Multiple arrests have been made in these cases, and the WNBA said in a statement the league would not only eject the disrupter, but ban them for at least one year as well.
"The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans," the WNBA said in a statement. "In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities."
A Georgia man who was arrested for throwing a sex toy on the court at an Atlanta Dream game allegedly told police "this was supposed to be a joke and this joke [was] supposed to go viral," per ESPN. However, WNBA players and coaches do not find it funny.
"This has been going on for centuries," Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "The sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. And it's not funny and it should not be the butt of jokes on radio shows, or in print or any comments."
