Arabic version: طرد كارينغتون بعد خطأ عنيف ضد كانينغهام

According to BBC News, Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected during her side’s WNBA loss to the Indiana Fever after a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham. Indiana won the game 90-86.

Carrington caught Fever guard Cunningham across the left side of the head with her arm as Cunningham attempted a right-handed layup late in the opening quarter in Chicago. Cunningham fell hard, then got up and confronted Carrington before team-mates separated the players.

Following a review, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant two, resulting in Carrington’s automatic ejection. She had scored eight points in four minutes after coming off the bench. Carrington had missed the first 27 games of the season because of injury.

After leaving the game, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILIGE” on Threads and tagged the Indiana Fever. Cunningham said the matter was being handled by the league, adding that the incident had “nothing to do with race” and that the foul was unnecessary.

Fever coach Stephanie White said she did not believe Carrington intentionally tried to hit Cunningham across the neck, but said the contact happened and that the ejection was the right decision. Referee Maj Forsberg said Cunningham was not penalised for her response because officials considered it acceptable given the severity of the contact.

Elsewhere, Fever star Caitlin Clark avoided a one-match suspension after a third-quarter technical foul was rescinded after the game. The call would have been her eighth technical foul of the season, a total that triggers an automatic suspension.