ESPN reporter TJ Quinn, Washington Mystics player Elizabeth Williams, and Sports Media Center Executive Founder Bob Ley ’76 were part of the panel discussion. Photo credit: Beth Berardi
The Seton Hall University Sports Media Center held a panel discussion on Brittney Griner’s incarceration in Russia a day before announcing a deal to release the WNBA star in a prisoner exchange.
“From Brittney Griner to the World Cup: The Merits and Perils of International Sports” featured Washington Mystics player Elizabeth Williams and ESPN reporter TJ Quinn and was moderated by Sports Media Center Executive Founder Bob Ley ’76, a former ESPN sportscaster who has won awards. anchor
Williams, who is also the secretary of the WNBA Players Association Executive Council, has also been a vital leader in the campaign to bring WNBA player Brittney Griner home from captivity in Russia. Williams was also a leading voice in the “Vote Warnock” campaign, advocating for Rafael Warnock to win the Senate seat in Georgia after Atlanta Dream team owner and Republican senatorial candidate Kelly Loeffler openly criticized the Black Lives Matter movement.
In addition, TJ Quinn, an investigative reporter for ESPN, has been leading the coverage of Griner’s case following his success behind many sports scandal situations. His context was critical in helping students understand the geo-political context of Griner’s arrest. Ley, who, apart from his impressive and well-known career, still manages to keep his alma mater at the forefront, equipping the Hall with panel discussions and seminars like this one.
“There are no three people with a more balanced insight into what is happening today than Williams, Quinn and Ley,” said Sports Media Center Executive Director Jane McManus. Reflecting on the timing of the event, he added, “I am so glad that Seton Hall students had the opportunity to understand the context of Griner’s release before it happened. These conversations are exactly what we are trying to have at the Sports Media Center.”
Williams met a small group of students and McManus before the panel, and stopped to take selfies and shake hands. The Faculty and students from all over the University attended.
Watch video highlights from the event here »
About the Seton Hall Sports Media Center
The Sports Media Center within the College of Communication and Arts is redefining how students are trained in media, communications, the business of sports, engaging with the sports community, and producing groundbreaking content through the University’s channels and partnerships with the major media. Established in autumn 2021, the Sports Media Center provides an interdisciplinary foundation for academic training and theory with practical experience relevant to excellence in the Sports Media discipline.
