Co-owner Renee Montgomery says Atlanta Dream didn’t initially know ‘magnitude of situation’ with Courtney Williams, Crystal Bradford

The Atlanta Dream didn’t know the extent of the May altercation involving players Courtney Williams and Crystal Bradford, which is why neither was disciplined at the time, co-owner Renee Montgomery said Wednesday night.

Montgomery, a former WNBA player who is part of the ownership group that bought the Dream in February, addressed the situation on ESPN during halftime of the WNBA playoff game between the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky.

She said the league is investigating the circumstances.

“This is a tough situation for everyone involved. No one feels good or happy about what transpired,” said Montgomery, who is working as an analyst for ESPN during the playoffs. “And I know a lot of people want information, but right now, the league is involved. We’re dealing with a process that’s going to involve the league and the WNBPA. So we have to respect that.”

The players’ agent, Marcus Crenshaw, said Tuesday that the Dream told him that neither player would return to the team next season. He said they are unrestricted free agents.

Speaking on Instagram Live with Girls Talk Sports TV, Crenshaw said he believes the Dream are not bringing either player back because the organization is embarrassed that video of the fight came to light, as well as a YouTube video Williams posted talking about the altercation. Both circulated on social media Sunday.

“The team knew about the situation months ago,” he said Tuesday. “Right now, the team is trying to act like they have the morals, and [they’re] making [the players] some sort of scapegoats by saying they got put off the Dream because of the altercation.”

Montgomery said Wednesday that the team was aware of the video in May but only saw an abbreviated portion of it, and that then-Dream coach Mike Petersen did…