Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington Ejected for Flagrant 2 Foul on Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, Sparks Social Media Controversy

On-Court Altercation & Ejection

• The Breakaway Play: Cunningham intercepted a pass and attempted a right-handed fast-break layup. Carrington chased her from behind and struck Cunningham across the left side of her head and neck, sending her crashing to the court as the shot fell.
• The Confrontation: Cunningham immediately jumped to her feet and confronted Carrington before teammates and officials stepped in to separate the two guards.
• Flagrant 2 Foul Official Ruling: Officiating crew chief Maj Forsberg reviewed the replay and upgraded the play to a Flagrant 2 foul, citing excessive contact with windup, impact, and follow-through, which carries an automatic ejection. Carrington finished with 8 points in 4 minutes off the bench.

Post-Game Reactions & Responses

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                       POST-GAME STATEMENTS                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Sophie Cunningham : "This has nothing to do with race. Last year, I did   │
│   (Fever Guard)       the same thing and I got kicked out. There's no       │
│                       reason to play that card."                            │
│                                                                             │
│ • Stephanie White   : "It was a hard foul. I don't think DiJonai intended   │
│   (Fever Coach)       to get her across the neck like she did, but it happened│
│                       and it was the right call."                           │
│                                                                             │
│ • Tyler Marsh       : "I have to get back to you on that because I'm just   │
│   (Sky Coach)         now hearing about that. So yeah, we'll handle that."  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

• Sophie Cunningham’s Response: Cunningham rejected the racial implication, stating that she was ejected for a similar hard foul last season and called Carrington’s post an unnecessary attempt to “play that card”.
• Fever Head Coach Stephanie White: White supported the referees’ Flagrant 2 foul ruling while noting she did not believe Carrington struck Cunningham intentionally.
• Sky Head Coach Tyler Marsh: Marsh initially felt Carrington made a legitimate play on the ball live on the floor, adding that the team would handle her social media post internally.

Caitlin Clark Technical Rescinded