Seattle Reign FC confirmed on Friday that defender Ryanne Brown tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus and has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury (SEI) list. Brown was injured toward the end of the first half of last Friday’s match against the Utah Royals, going down without contact as she chased a ball out of bounds.

Brown will undergo surgery to begin her recovery, which can vary depending on the severity of the injury but typically ranges from nine months to a year.

Brown, in her second full season with the Reign, started four games and played in 10 matches across all competitions this year. All her starts came in June and July as she worked her way into a starting role. Brown was part of a backline that corrected earlier defensive mistakes and gave up just three goals in the last four matches she started.

“We’re heartbroken for Ryanne,” said head coach Laura Harvey in a team release. “She has consistently been a player who works hard every day to help the team as much as possible. Her performances on the field this year have shown how much growth there has been in Ryanne’s game. We will be fully supporting her throughout this journey.”

After the Reign’s Summer Cup win against Utah, Harvey shared her frustration with the fact that the Reign had to play on Friday and couldn’t start training until Monday following a seven-day CBA-mandated break.

“The fact that we’ve been asked to play four days, five days after the mandatory break, I don’t think is the most player health and safety thing that we’ve ever asked the players to do. Tonight was always going to be tough. Playing on a Friday after a mandatory break outside of a FIFA break is close to absurd if you ask me, and unfortunately, we have a player that got injured because of it.”

Reign forward Bethany Balcer shared a similar sentiment on Twitter this week, commenting on the news that Sam Staab will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

In an escalation of tensions between two local governments over how to handle misdemeanor crime, a representative for King County Executive Dow Constantine is pushing back on the claim that booking restrictions in the downtown jail are heightening public safety issues in Seattle, pointing the finger instead at City Attorney Ann Davison’s office.

Davison, as well as Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson and interim police Chief Sue Rahr, have argued the county’s restrictions, in place since 2020, mean they’re limited in their ability to combat public disorder and repeat shoplifters.

In a message to Metropolitan King County Council members sent Wednesday, Penny Lipsou, director of council relations for county Executive Dow Constantine, said Davison’s claims are misguided. Lipsou said the jail makes exceptions to booking restrictions when there is a compelling reason. Davison’s office has been ineffective at making those arguments in court, she said.

“Rather than attacking the jail (and in past months, the judges), she should first get her own shop in order,” Lipsou wrote in her message Wednesday.

The message goes on to invite Seattle to cancel its contract with the county for jail space.

“The County is more than willing to immediately release the City from any further obligations under the 2012 contract. This would ameliorate [the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention]’s staffing challenges, and allow the County to focus on the more serious (felony) suspects and offenders, who are the County’s responsibility under state law,” Lipsou wrote.

King County has been restricting bookings in its downtown jail since the beginning of the pandemic, first for public health reasons, then due to staffing shortages. While violent offenses and DUIs are still eligible for booking, property destruction, trespassing, shoplifting and others are not. Seattle, which pays the county about $20 million a year for roughly 200 beds in the downtown jail, has only been able to access between 70 and 80 since 2020.

In response, Mayor Bruce Harrell recently announced a plan to jail people in a Des Moines jail, owned and operated by South King County cities, known as the South Correctional Entity, or SCORE. The proposal, which would put Seattle into new territory after exclusively using county-run jails, comes as Davison and members of the Seattle City Council have increased pressure on Harrell to find new jail beds.

In a City Council meeting Wednesday, Davison told officials her office couldn’t book more than half the misdemeanors listed in the city’s code.

“If somebody smashes a plate-glass window at one of our storefronts, I can’t get them booked into King County Jail,” Davison said.

Nelson, meanwhile, has repeatedly said the city should demand its money back from the county until it’s afforded all 200 beds.

Lipsou said the restrictions are not policy driven, but a response to low staffing levels which do not allow the county to operate its jails at full capacity. Hiring has picked up, but is still well below the number of staffers needed.

Seattle can request exemptions from the restrictions — which it has done several times, according to Lipsou’s email, including as recently as last week to allow Seattle police officers to book more people from downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. News website PubliCola earlier reported on the exemption request.

“[The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention] has made it clear to Seattle and other partner agencies that it will grant exceptions to booking restrictions based on special emphasis patrols, special events, and place-based enforcement, up to and including a recently requested exception for all of downtown Seattle,” Lipsou wrote.

As for the money, Lipsou said the county is already subsidizing misdemeanor bookings and the city is not paying the full cost, even with the limitations in place.

“There is no money to return, despite the city council president’s assertion,” wrote Lipsou.

Amy Enbysk, press secretary for Constantine, confirmed the authenticity of the email, which was intended to be internal.

“The Executive is extremely frustrated that these issues are being discussed at a City Council meeting without an opportunity for the County to be present, as it provides a one-sided perspective of a complex challenge,” she said.

A spokesperson for Mayor Bruce Harrell said the city remains in conversation with the county about its booking restrictions. A spokesperson for Davison declined to comment.

It was a cooler day Thursday after we started with morning clouds and even a few sprinkles around Everett. Highs today only warmed into the mid to low 70s.

Mostly clear skies this evening with a few clouds along the coast by Friday morning. Overnight lows in the mid to low 50s.

Regional Overnight Lows (FOX 13 Seattle)

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Clouds will be less to start Friday compared to Thursday, mainly along the coast. 

FUTURECAST 7am (FOX 13 Seattle)

Skies will be mostly sunny on Friday afternoon with highs warming up to seasonal normal for late July, upper 70s to low 80s.

Regional Highs Tomorrow (FOX 13 Seattle)

Fire weather remains a high concern during this time of year, but we will see a bit of a relief especially for eastern and central Washington through this weekend. Winds will decrease tonight through Friday, decreasing the spread of current fires. Temperatures will be relatively cooler compared to the heat they have been seeing, in the 90s to 100s. Smoke will remain in the area and a haze could be noticeable in Western Washington. 

FIRE CONDITIONS HEADLINES (FOX 13 Seattle)

Temperatures will warm a few degrees through Saturday with mostly sunny skies. A few more clouds on Sunday with temperatures in the mid 70s. We will see our first real rainmaker move through Monday into Tuesday, which could bring our first measurable rainfall in over a month! Warmer and drier skies will return by the middle of next week. 

7 DAY Forecast (FOX 13 Seattle)