Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White took a stand amidst those critical of her reaction after Sophie Cunningham was flagrantly fouled by Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington on Saturday.
The second-year Fever coach briefly addressed the media on Tuesday as she pounded her fist on the table multiple times before not taking any questions from reporters.
Carrington’s foul was increased to a flagrant 2 on review and she was ejected from the game. White, who previously coached Carrington with the Connecticut Sun, said she did not believe Carrington intentionally aimed for Cunningham’s neck.
That response led to some public backlash and she received some boos from the home crowd prior to Tuesday’s victory vs. the New York Liberty.
However, White is firm in her stance that she has her team’s back and the locker room is well-connected.
“The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win. We are united. We are connected. We will not be divided,” White said. “Every day, these women put their ass on the line. Every day. When they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win, and kindness will win. I stand by them. I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”
On Tuesday before White’s comments, Fever star Caitlin Clark expressed pride in how her teammates have resiliently responded to this season’s challenges.
“It’s fun to see how excited and how much fun my teammates have with one another because I feel like a lot of the narratives sometimes are the opposite of that,” Clark said. “Some days are going to be great. Some days aren’t going to be as great. You just keep getting back up and keep fighting.”
–Field Level Media
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