Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected late in the first quarter of their game against the Indiana Fever after her hard hit on Sophie Cunningham.
As Cunningham attacked the basket on a fast break, Carrington came from behind her in an attempt to block her. However, the WNBA veteran instead hit the Fever guard in the head mid-air, causing her to fall hard to the floor.
Cunningham avoided a serious injury on the play, but it was certainly a dangerous contact, prompting the referees to assess Carrington with a Flagrant 2 foul.
Sure enough, a lot of fans and experts are not happy with the call. Among those who commented on the incident was former WNBA player Stacey Dales, and she didn't hold back in expressing how "terrible" the foul was.
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"What a terrible foul by DiJonai Carrington. Completely unnecessary, especially after she was playing so well on the offensive end of the floor," the one-time WNBA All-Star added. "Good for Cunningham for reacting cannot blame her. Flagrant two no doubt."
For what it's worth, even popular sports commentator Skip Bayless reacted and couldn't help but wonder whether it was "personal." Bayless, like Dales, acknowledged that it was correctly called a Flagrant 2.
"DiJonai Carrington just clothes-lined Sophie Cunningham by smashing her across the face as she went up for a breakaway layup. Cunningham took a dangerous hard fall. Obvious Flagrant 2, deserved ejection. Have to wonder if it was personal," Bayless wrote.
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Cunningham herself has since addressed the incident, noting that while it was "unnecessary," she's more than capable of taking it. She also stated that she's not upset despite initially wanting to fight Carrington, explaining that she was simply standing up for herself.
