MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart says she was molested as a child

Oct 30, 2017, 11:51 AM

Seattle storm, breanna stewart...

Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, file)

(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, file)

A member of the Seattle Storm says she was molested when she was a child.

Breanna Stewart writes in The Players Tribune that she was sexually assaulted “for years” by a man who lived at a relative’s home she often stayed at.

She says the memory is so vivid that she still recalls the smell of the man — cigarettes and dirt.

At 11 years old, she finally told her parents, who then called the police. The man was arrested and confessed everything, according to Stewart.

Stewart says she’s finally talking publicly about being molested because the #MeToo campaign helped her feel less alone.

Part of why I waited so long to tell so many people — even those very close to me — is because I don’t want to be defined by this any more than I want to be only defined by how well I play basketball. Both things are a part of me — they make me who I am. We are all a little more complicated than we might seem.

She says that now she can finally sleep.

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Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart says she was molested as a child