Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
The WNBA Draft has come and gone, and former TCU Horned Frogs and Oregon Ducks center went undrafted due to abuse allegations that have surfaced. The allegations were made by two of Prince’s former girlfriends who claim Prince assaulted them. A. Boone Almanza acknowledged the allegations, but was clear that there were no charges filed against Prince.
One of Prince’s previous girlfriends accused Prince of sexual assault and domestic violence, and that resulted in a petition to have Prince removed from the team. According to Fox News, Prince denied the allegations, saying she never “abused anyone in her life, whether mentally, emotionally, or physically. ” Her lawyer, however, said that “Unfortunately, others have decided to use Sedona as a launch point for their careers.”
Prince’s fame came in 2021 from a series of TikTok videos she posted showcasing the disparities between men and women in the NCAA March Madness Tournament, which subsequently led to a revamp of the women’s tournament. She was later a lead plaintiff in the multibillion-dollar House lawsuit.
According to Yahoo Sports, Prince’s time on the Horned Frogs as a seven-year senior saw her average 17.6 points, 9 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks. In the Horned Frogs’ 58-47 loss in the Elite Eight to Texas, Prince fouled out with 6:32 left in regular time. At least four women have come forward with allegations against Prince which made her a difficult prospect for team managers to consider.
While her height and speed give her a leg up against opponents, the allegations and petition to have her removed from The Horned Frogs casts a shadow over her basketball talents. According to ESPN, the team managers see it as a no-brainer, and she should have been drafted, while others view it as a bad idea to draft Prince because of the allegations. While she has not been formally convicted of any crimes relating to the allegations, just the knowledge of the allegations makes drafting Prince come with high stakes.
Three of Prince’s former Liberty Hill teammates spoke to ESPN under the condition of anonymity to protect themselves from retribution. They said, “It should have been the best time of our lives, but it was just constantly walking on eggshells and stressful. If it didn’t play out her way, somebody was going to get something in retaliation.” The teammates did not keep in contact with Prince, but they remember her being a difficult person.
One of the allegations against Prince occurred in Mexico, where her former girlfriend, Olivia Stabile, accused Prince of pushing her off of an ATV and punching her in the chest the next morning. Stabile goes into detail about how Prince drove the ATV off-road into the wilderness and ignored her requests to turn around before grabbing her and throwing her to the ground.
The petition that asked for Prince’s removal from The Horned Frogs that started in August garnered over 200,00 signatures, but TCU did not suspend her. They confirmed they were investigating the claim, but that’s all they did.
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