Radio personality Dan Dakich has strongly condemned Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White for her response to a flagrant foul committed against player Sophie Cunningham, going as far as to call her the "dumbest coach I've ever seen."
Dakich's criticism, aired on his "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" program, targets White's pre-game remarks ahead of the Fever's victory over the New York Liberty. White has faced accusations of not adequately defending her players against hard fouls this season, including incidents involving Caitlin Clark and Cunningham.
"Somebody knocks your player on their ass with a flagrant foul, and if you are in a situation where the media will ask you about it, you always lead with defending your players," Dakich stated. "That is not what Stephanie White did. That is not what Stephanie White does, but she claims that she does."
White's comments, which included stating she did not see the foul DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky committed against Cunningham, were a focal point for Dakich. He argued that a coach should not need to witness an incident firsthand to defend their player.
"Again, this is why you are a minor league coach," Dakich said of White. "This is why you don't need to see it, honey, you don't. You don't need to see it. You simply need to know that your player got clotheslined, and you come in, and you defend your player."
Dakich also referenced a previous incident, describing it as an "Alyssa Thomas throat punch."
He particularly took issue with the closing remarks of White's statement, which included sentiments about love, grace, humility, and kindness, followed by telling those who disagree to "go to hell."
"Oh man, she is the dumbest coach I've ever seen," Dakich declared. "Love, grace, humility, integrity... and you can go to hell if you don't love grace and integrity? She is the dumbest human being to ever coach a professional sport."
Dakich cited White's alleged lack of defense for Cunningham and the prior incident involving Alyssa Thomas as evidence for his strong assertion. He also made a contentious remark regarding White's ability to define gender, stating, "Hell, you're so stupid you can't even tell us what a woman is. You can't even tell us the difference between a man and a woman."