Indiana Fever coach defends DiJonai Carrington after flagrant foul ejection

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said the hard foul committed by DiJonai Carrington on Chicago Sky guard Sophie Cunningham was not intentional, even though officials reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, resulting in Carrington's ejection during the Fever's 90-86 win.

Cunningham, who was struck on the head and neck area while attempting a layup, described the contact as intentional, saying, "Clearly, I think it was unnecessary... Yeah, it's intentional." White responded, "It was a hard foul. I don’t think 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 added that Carrington is a competitive player who "plays her butt off" and that she did not believe the foul was deliberately aimed at Cunningham’s neck.

After the ejection, Carrington posted a brief message reading "White Privilege" on the social platform Threads and tagged the Indiana Fever, without further explanation. Cunningham dismissed any racial motive, stating, "I think the league is taking care of that. This has nothing to do with race."

White declined to comment on Carrington's social media post.