Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White is facing significant backlash from fans after appearing to defend a hard foul committed by Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington on her own player, Sophie Cunningham. The incident occurred during Saturday's game when Carrington attempted to block Cunningham's breakaway layup from behind. The foul, described as wrapping an arm around Cunningham's face, resulted in the Fever guard falling hard to the court. The play was assessed as a flagrant 2 foul, leading to Carrington's ejection.
Following the game, White, who previously coached Carrington, commented on the foul. "One of the things about 'Nai is she's going to play her butt off, man," White said. "She's gonna compete, no one's gonna go walking in for a easy layup, so I don't oppose the hard foul. But I also don't think she intentionally went for the neck."
These remarks drew criticism online, with some social media accounts calling for White to be fired. Commentator Jason Whitlock publicly stated, "I will never utter a word in Stephanie White's defense again. Never. She's sick. Must be fired. What a joke."
Adding to the controversy, Carrington, after her ejection, reportedly posted from the locker room that she was removed from the game due to "white privilege." Cunningham directly refuted this claim, stating, "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."
Carrington has since continued to fuel the tension, hyping the next matchup between the Fever and the Sky on August 23. The Fever ultimately won the recent game against the Sky with a score of 90-86.