08/08/26 07:10:00
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08/08 19:09 CDT Chicago's DiJonai Carrington ejected for foul on Fever's
Cunningham and posts 'white privilege'
Chicago's DiJonai Carrington ejected for foul on Fever's Cunningham and posts
'white privilege'
CHICAGO (AP) --- DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky was ejected Saturday
after being called for a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana
Fever. Minutes later, Carrington posted on social media the words "WHITE
PRIVILEGE" and tagged the Fever.
Cunningham, who is white, was shooting a fast-break layup in the first quarter
when Carrington, who is Black, came from behind and hit her in the head and
neck, knocking her to the court as the shot went in.
Cunningham said she thought the foul in the 90-86 Indiana win was "absolutely"
intentional.
"Clearly I think it was unnecessary," Cunningham said. "I've never really
spoken to her and I have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent up
stuff."
Fever coach Stephanie White had a different view of the play.
"It was a hard foul," White said. "I don't think that Dijonai intentionally
came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I
thought it was the right call."
Cunningham got up immediately, charged toward Carrington and pushed her as she
was held back by a teammate.
"I popped up," Cunningham said. "I'm not going to let anyone just do that to
me. I think everyone knows that. I think that's why she did it because she
wants attention."
The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the referee said there
was windup, impact and follow-through on the foul.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he hadn't seen a replay of the play, but that seeing
it live, he thought Carrington was making a play on the ball and that he didn't
believe it warranted a Flagrant 2 foul.
"I haven't looked at that play since, so I really don't know if it was
justified or not," he said. "But, that's what I thought in the moment."
Marsh was then asked about Carrington's social media post.
"I have to get back to you on that because I'm just now hearing about that," he
said. "So yeah, we'll handle that."
But Cunningham had plenty to say about the post.
"I think the league is taking care of that," she said. "This has nothing to do
with race. Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved
to be kicked out. There's no reason even to play that card."
In the third quarter, Fever star Caitlin Clark was assessed a technical foul
after she made contact with a referee when she was forced out of bounds. The
technical was Clark's eighth of the season, triggering a one-game suspension
for Indiana's next game if not rescinded by the league.
"She said I ran into her," Clark said in a postgame television interview. "I've
already watched it on the tape, so we'll let the league decide. But it wasn't
intentional or anything, so I'm hoping it's getting rescinded,"
A few hours after the game Clark got her way. The WNBA rescinded the technical
foul.
Cunningham has frequently come to Clark's defense after physical play by
opponents and has become one of the higher-profile players in the league this
season. In an ESPN article published last month, she voiced support for barring
transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports, which led to small
protests and rallies outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland.
In a memo to teams on Friday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league
would have ongoing discussions about the issue of transgender participation in
women's basketball.
Marsh said that the controversy surrounding Cunningham didn't add anything
extra to the game.
"We didn't come into this one with any more or less juice than we've had in the
last four since the All-Star break," he said. "Our mindset is trying to win
games."
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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