CHICAGO, Illinois, USA — Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever” on Threads shortly after being ejected during Saturday’s 90-86 loss to the Indiana Fever, after officials upgraded her hard foul on Sophie Cunningham to a Flagrant 2.
- Carrington ejected: Her foul on Sophie Cunningham was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 following a video review.
- Social media post: Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever” shortly after leaving the game.
- Cunningham responds: The Fever guard rejected the suggestion that race was involved in the ejection.
- Officials defend decision: The officiating crew said Cunningham’s reaction to the contact did not warrant a penalty.
Carrington ejected after hard foul on Cunningham
The incident occurred late in the opening quarter as Cunningham broke toward the basket for a right-handed layup. Carrington chased her down and made contact with the left side of Cunningham’s head using her left arm, knocking the Fever player to the floor.
Cunningham immediately got back to her feet, and the two players briefly confronted each other face-to-face before teammates separated them.
Officials reviewed the play and upgraded Carrington’s foul to a Flagrant 2, which resulted in an automatic ejection.
Carrington posts message on Threads
Shortly after being ejected, reportedly while still in the locker room, Carrington posted a brief message on her Threads account: “WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever.”
The post appeared to suggest that Carrington believed race was connected to the decision to eject her from the game. Carrington did not elaborate publicly after the game when she was asked for comment.
Cunningham rejects race explanation
Cunningham said after the game that she considered the contact unnecessary but also indicated that she had no previous personal dispute with Carrington.
“Clearly, I think it was like unnecessary. I’ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff. So, get your (stuff) off. That’s fine. I can take it.”
When informed about Carrington’s social media post, Cunningham rejected the suggestion that the ejection was connected to race.
“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.”
Cunningham also said she believed the league would address Carrington’s post.
Fever coach backs officiating decision
Indiana coach Stephanie White described the incident as a hard foul but said she did not believe Carrington deliberately targeted Cunningham’s neck.
“It was a hard foul. 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.”
White’s assessment acknowledged the severity of the contact while distinguishing it from an assertion that the foul was deliberately aimed at Cunningham’s neck.
Officials explain why Cunningham was not penalized
Officiating crew chief Maj Forsberg addressed Cunningham’s reaction after the game. Cunningham had immediately stood up following the contact and briefly confronted Carrington before teammates intervened.
Forsberg said officials determined that Cunningham’s reaction did not warrant a penalty because they considered it proportionate to the severity of the contact.
“We deemed her reaction to the severity of the contact to be acceptable.”
Sky coach says team will address post
Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he had not been aware of Carrington’s social media post when asked about it after the game.
“I have to get back to you on that because I’m just now hearing about that. So yeah, we’ll handle that.”
Carrington declined to comment after the game.
Cunningham has faced controversy over women’s sports comments
The incident comes amid wider controversy surrounding Cunningham. In an interview published by ESPN in July, the Fever player discussed her views on women’s sports and said girls should not have to compete against what she described as “biological men.”
Cunningham said she had received criticism over the comments and rejected the characterization that she hated transgender people.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” Cunningham told ESPN. “And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’”
She said her position was motivated by what she described as a desire to protect young girls in locker rooms and sports.
Her comments have generated both support and protests at Fever games. The controversy also extended beyond the court when the Seattle Storm apologized after one of their co-owners verbally confronted two teenage female fans who were holding signs supporting Cunningham’s views during a game against Indiana.
Carrington and Cunningham both contribute before ejection
Cunningham finished Saturday’s game with three points in 17 minutes. All three of her points came as a result of Carrington’s Flagrant 2 foul.
Carrington came off the bench and scored eight points in four minutes before being ejected with 1:59 remaining in the opening quarter.
Despite the incident, Indiana held on to win 90-86.
What happens next
The immediate fallout from the incident could involve further discussion between the Sky, the league and Carrington regarding the social media post. Carrington’s coach said the team would address the matter after learning about the post.
The supplied material does not indicate whether the WNBA has announced any additional disciplinary action concerning Carrington beyond the in-game Flagrant 2 ejection.
Source Attribution
This article is based solely on the Field Level Media material supplied for publication.
