Jaelene Daniels and the North Carolina Courage have parted ways again after the club declined a team option on her contract for the 2023 season.

The defender retired from the NWSL in 2020 but returned to the league last December when she re-signed with the Courage. Daniels’ return immediately sparked backlash, as she had refused a call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in 2017 because she did not want to wear a rainbow-themed LGBTQ+ Pride jersey.

She reached out to Courage teammates and fans with a statement after her signing, saying, “My beliefs may call me to live differently, but my love runs deep for all.”

Courage owner Steve Malik defended Daniels’ signing in a statement. While the decision “sparked a lot of discussion internally, and with a cross section of fans,” the club felt she had made a “positive impact” on their “successful history,” Malik said.

[ROSTER MOVE]: The Courage have declined a team option on defender Jaelene Daniels for the 2023 season, making her an unrestricted free agent.

The club wishes Jaelene the best in her future endeavors. pic.twitter.com/wn9h5AD4NZ

— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) October 17, 2022

Daniels, 29, started her NWSL career in 2015 with the Western New York Flash, the franchise that became the Courage in 2017. A two-time NWSL champion with the franchise in 2016 and in 2018, she announced her retirement in November 2020.

After the 2019 World Cup, her former USWNT teammate Ashlyn Harris — who is married to Ali Krieger, another of Daniels’ former USWNT teammates — slammed Daniels for her stance on the LGBTQ+ community, calling her intolerant and “homophobic.”

“You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” Harris said. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians.’ You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

When Daniels returned to North Carolina ahead of the 2022 season, she did so at a time of turmoil for the franchise. Paul Riley, who had coached the Flash and then the Courage from 2016-21, was fired after the 2021 season when sexual misconduct allegations against him were made public in The Athletic.

During the 2022 season, Daniels again refused to wear a Pride jersey. The team left her off the roster for a July home match that served as the Courage’s Pride night.

“Jaelene will not be rostered tonight as she has made the decision to not wear our Pride jersey. While we’re disappointed with her choice, we respect her right to make that decision for herself,” Nikki Stoudt, North Carolina’s communications manager, said in a statement.

Courage forward Merritt Mathias issued a statement in May saying she recognized the pain that re-signing Daniels, among other decisions by the club, caused LGBTQ+ fans in particular, and that she sympathizes “as a player who is part of the community.”

“There is a group here that truly, truly loves and supports and is here for the LGBTQ community,” Mathias said.

Incoming NWSL expansion team Denver announced more infrastructure news on Thursday, naming the squad's first-ever employee in decorated sports executive Jen Millet, who will serve as club president.

"Jen stood out amongst an extensive list of qualified candidates," said controlling owner Rob Cohen in a club statement. "Jen’s understanding of soccer, building world-class brands, ability to engage the community, and passion for creating a culture of excellence made her the ideal fit to run our club."

Previously, Millet served as the chief operating officer for 2024 expansion team Bay FC, a club she led to the league's top in merchandise sales and top-three in ticketing revenue in the franchise's inaugural season.

The Denver post, in which Millet will lead all of the club's business operations, will return Millet to her hometown as she takes on another NWSL launch.

"People might say I'm crazy to do back-to-back builds," Millet told The Athletic. "But I actually love this kind of work, and so I'm excited to get going."

With a new dedicated stadium and training facility in the works, plus record season ticket sales and, now, NWSL-savvy leadership, Denver looks prepared to hit the ground running as the league's 16th team in 2026.

The 2025 PWHL Takeover Tour was a smash hit, with the second-year league’s nine-game out-of-market series drawing record-breaking crowds across North America.

Built as both a marketing push and a way to size up cities for future expansion, the Takeover Tour has given hockey fans access to the PWHL from Seattle to Québec City.

"The PWHL Takeover Tour has been one of the most rewarding initiatives since our inception — for our fans, our athletes, and our staff," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

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Record-setting crowds packed PWHL Tour stops

According to a Friday press release, a total of 123,601 fans visited the Tour, setting a new US attendance record for professional women’s hockey with 14,018 cheering in Denver on January 12th — a mark that fell just over two months later when 14,288 fans filled Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on March 16th.

More than half the games rank in the PWHL’s Top-10 most attended matchups, with the Takeover Tour's January 8th Vancouver stop registering fourth on the list with its 19,038-strong sellout crowd.

Even more, the league estimates that 80% of the Tour's attendees witnessed their first-ever PWHL game, making the series a rousing success in expanding the league's reach and growing the game beyond its six home markets.

"Across the nine stops, we connected with new fans, grew the game, and gave audiences the opportunity to experience the unparalleled excitement of a PWHL game live," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer.

"This Tour created core memories for our fans and players and its success is a true testament to the passion and support we’re seeing across North America."

Already looking deep into the future, the Tour also gave 945 hockey-playing girls access to clinics and meetings with PWHL stars — a move that Hefford hopes inspires the young athletes to aim for pro careers of their own, now that the league has paved the path into "an achievable goal."

Projected 2025 WNBA Draft overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers announced her first pro deal on Friday, signing with new league partner Ally Financial as the bank gears up to help launch the WNBA’s first-ever Rivalry Week.

"I think the biggest lesson I've learned is to give with what you've been given," Bueckers said during a Friday morning press conference. "A lot of my partnerships, we have values aligned of giving back."

As draft prospects weigh the factors behind the decision to turn pro, Bueckers's early endorsement splash challenges the idea that NIL opportunities end the moment college players exit the NCAA.

The brand-new NCAA champion has been out of the college game for less than one week, but by cashing in with a deal immediately, Bueckers is proving that her value isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

"I think at times there's too much made about salary, and too much made about what's going on in college," Dallas GM Curt Miller told reporters on Thursday. "The top players that we're talking to, their endorsements are going to travel with them."

Ally backs debut WNBA Rivalry Week

In line with the deal, the Ally-sponsored inaugural WNBA Rivalry Week will run from August 9th through the 17th, highlighting matchups with a significant amount of recent history.

Key games will include Midwest regional foes Indiana and Chicago battling it out on CBS, new expansion team Golden State hosting a California clash against the LA Sparks, and a pair of WNBA Finals rematches featuring the NY Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, and the Las Vegas Aces.

Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft could seriously shape the future for the three teams at the helm of this year’s lottery, as top pick-holders Dallas, Seattle, and Washington all prepare to make major moves after a rollercoaster offseason.

The Wings currently hold the overall No. 1 pick, while Seattle will select second after a blockbuster three-team trade with LA and Las Vegas sent star Jewell Loyd to the Aces and the No. 2 pick to the Storm.

Washington also wields significant draft capital following another series of trades, which sent top guard Ariel Atkins to Chicago in exchange for the No. 3 pick. Meanwhile, the Mystics also hold Monday's fourth and sixth first-round selections.

While Dallas and Seattle wield the highest picks, Washington’s wealth of selections gives them the most first-round influence — especially over expansion franchise Golden State’s No. 5 pick.

"I think it actually creates an opportunity for us to build strength in a couple of different ways," said Mystics GM Jamila Wideman.

Flexibility is key in navigating the WNBA Draft

Uncertainty has reigned supreme in recent months, as team executives find out alongside the public exactly which college stars are entering the WNBA’s talent pool as some eligible standouts opt to remain in the NCAA for one final season.

"We're always nimble as GMs in this league," Dallas GM Curt Miller told media on Thursday. "You don’t truly know who is declaring and coming into the draft until the very end."

As for teams outside of the lottery, they'll have to cross their fingers and wait patiently on Monday, as last year’s lowest record-holders raid the draft pool first.