Sky's DiJonai Carrington ejected for foul on Sophie Cunningham in loss to Fever
DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky was ejected Saturday after being called for a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever.
What we know:
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 got up immediately, charged toward Carrington and pushed her as she was held back by a teammate.
The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the referee said there was windup, impact and follow-through on the foul.
Minutes later, Carrington posted on social media the words "WHITE PRIVILEGE" and tagged the Fever.
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.
What we don't know:
It's unclear if Carrington will incur any additional punishment from the league itself.
The other side:
The Fever's Caitlin Clark was assessed her eighth technical foul of the season Saturday in a game against Chicago, and that would trigger a one-game suspension for Indiana's next game if it's not rescinded.
In the third quarter of the Fever's 90-86 win over the Sky, Clark made contact with a referee when she was forced out of bounds and was called for a technical foul.
After the game, Clark said the contact was inadvertent and that no words were exchanged. She was hopeful the WNBA would rescind the foul.
"She said I ran into her," Clark said of the referee. "I have already watched it on the tape. So, we’ll let the league decide. But, it wasn’t anything intentional or anything. So, I hope it gets rescinded. And, nothing was said."
The Fever's next game is on Tuesday against New York.
"That's a bad call, incidental contact when you're flying out of control," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "I thought her teammates should have come up and talked to her about that as well. I think that’s really bad. that (expletive) happens all the time in the game. you know, officials have to have some awareness in those moments, and it didn’t happen."