Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White found herself on the receiving end of heavy backlash following her comments about the DiJonai Carrington-Sophie Cunningham incident.
To recall, Carrington was called for a Flagrant 1 foul after hitting Cunningham in the head during Saturday's game between the Fever and Chicago Sky. Many accused the Sky guard of intentionally hitting the Fever star because video replays showed that she was far from attempting a play on the basketball.
However, White saw it differently and defended Carrington, saying that she doesn't think it was intentional. While she agreed with Carrington's ejection, White also praised the WNBA veteran, saying that "she's gonna compete."
The statement sparked criticism of White, with many accusing her of not backing her own player. For one, Barstool's Dave Portnoy and Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith publicly called for White's firing over the statement.
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Now, prior to the Fever's game against the Liberty, White addressed the controversy and slammed the "narratives that simply don't exist."
"Trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am or what I'm about. Our players' success, our players' health and wellness, our player safety is always a top priority for me. One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players," White stated.
White also defended her comments, noting that she "didn't see the play in real time."
"I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie's OK. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over and over on replay, you can see that. I didn't have that in real time. I take personally any suggestions that I don't 100% always have my players back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time. They know that. It’s a shame that we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they're playing because they are [expletive] playing."
The Fever tactician ended her pregame press conference with a powerful message, saying that the "hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that's trying to hijack our league will not win." White added that she stands by her players and will always do so.
For what it's worth, Fever president Kelly Krauskopf also issued a statement in support of White, saying that "she has kept our team focused and united" and that she has the full backing of the Indiana leadership.
