Police are investigating a threatening, homophobic email sent to the wife of WNBA forward Breanna Stewart as the New York Liberty compete in the finals.

Police have not identified the person who filed the report. They said a 33-year-old woman reported aggravated harassment on Thursday after receiving “a threatening email.” Stewart confirmed the threats and said her wife filed the report after practice on Tuesday.

The email said the couple “don’t deserve to live and I hope you both die.”

Stewart, 30, who plays for the New York Liberty, is married to former WNBA player Marta Xargay Casademont, 33, a member of the Spanish national team. They married in July 2021 and share two children.

The New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the case as a possible bias incident based on sexual orientation discrimination. The New York Post was the first to report the threat.

“The fact that it ended up in Marta’s email is something she (needed) to see. The level of closeness was a little different,” she told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “Make sure that everything goes well with me and Marta, but that our children are safest.”

Stewart said she reported the threat to the team and the league and that Xargay filed a complaint with police. “When you’re in the finals and things like that, it makes sense to submit something formal,” she said.

The threat came after the Liberty lost Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to the Minnesota Lynx. Stewart missed a free throw with less than a second left in regulation that would have given the Liberty the lead, and she missed a layup that would have tied the game at the end of overtime.

Stewart told ESPN that the threatening email came after the Game 1 loss.

“Sometimes people take things a little too far and out of context. And Marta had received homophobic death threats. A few other things happened,” said Stewart, a two-time MVP. She said they reported the matter to ensure that “we are doing as much as we can to continue to ensure that our team and the league are aware of the situation and continue to keep everyone safe.”

The Liberty and the WNBA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert also spoke about the increasing amount of hate speech players received on social media in her speech before Game 1.

She said the competition will discuss the matter together with the players’ association, players and teams using technology and prioritizing mental health and strengthening safety.

“First of all, there is no place for it in sports,” Engelbert said. “It’s just something where we have to continue to be a voice for it, a voice against it, condemn it and make sure we find every opportunity to support our players who have been dealing with this for much longer than this year. .”

The Liberty and the Lynx will face off again for Game 3 on Wednesday night.