WNBA Player Cites ‘White Privilege’ After Ejection For Hard Foul

A WNBA player torched by referees for a violent foul turned to social media and pointed at race.

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington drew a flagrant 2 and an ejection Saturday for a hard foul on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, then posted the words “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on her Threads account and tagged the Fever.

The foul landed late in the first quarter of a game Indiana won 90-86. Cunningham was out ahead of the pack on a fast-break layup when Carrington chased her down and struck her across the face and neck, dropping her to the floor as the shot fell, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Officials initially assessed a flagrant 1, then upgraded it after review, citing windup, impact and follow-through on the play. (RELATED: Fever’s Sophie Cunningham Speaks On Protecting Female Sports)

Cunningham rejected any suggestion that race played a part. “I think the league is taking care of that. 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,” she said, according to ESPN.

DiJonai Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game after this play. pic.twitter.com/WRapu4lqHX

She also called the foul deliberate. “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,” Cunningham said, ESPN reported.

Cunningham sprang up and got in Carrington’s face, shoving her before teammate Makayla Timpson and Fever staff pulled her back, Yahoo Sports reported.

Fever coach Stephanie White defended the call while stopping short of assigning intent. “It was a hard foul,” White said, according to the AP. “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.”

Sophie Cunningham’s own coach Stephanie White DEFENDS DiJonai Carrington after Flagrant 2 ejection for foul on Cunningham: “I also don’t think that she intentionally went for the neck.” https://t.co/SrToPTPrwk pic.twitter.com/hocbpAH3Gs

Carrington had opened strong before the ejection, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting roughly four minutes into her outing, Yahoo Sports reported. The matchup carried added tension, with Cunningham already under scrutiny over comments she made about transgender athletes in a recent ESPN profile.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier weighed in on the foul with a warning to the WNBA. “The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault,” Uthmeier said. The matchup carried added tension, with Cunningham already under scrutiny over comments she made about transgender athletes in a recent ESPN profile.