Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White has forcefully rejected criticism over her handling of the controversy following Saturday's game against the Chicago Sky, telling detractors to "go to hell" after Tuesday's win over the New York Liberty.
White was booed by sections of the Fever fanbase before Tuesday's game, and Indiana's lieutenant governor has called for her dismissal. The backlash stems from her comments after Saturday's match, when she said she did not believe Sky player DiJonai Carrington intentionally targeted Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's head and neck. Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul after striking Cunningham in that area.
White's Defiant Response
After Tuesday's game, White briefly addressed the media, pounding her fist on the table multiple times, and declined to take questions from journalists.
"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."
White, who previously coached Carrington at the Connecticut Sun, explained that she had not seen the foul in real time before making her initial comments. She rebutted suggestions that she did not "100% always have my players' back."
"Our players' success, our players' health and wellness, our players' safety is always a top priority for me," she said. "One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players. I 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."
Player Support and Team Unity
Cunningham expressed her support for White, who is in her second year in charge of Indiana.
"Our locker room in there, it's tight, and we have each other's backs," Cunningham said on Tuesday. "Coach loves us. She didn't see the clip ... and that's OK. Me and Steph are great. Steph is great with all of us, and so it's really the outside noise that's trying to distract us, but we're good."
The Fever have been under scrutiny this season, largely due to the presence of Caitlin Clark, the WNBA's most prominent player. Cunningham has frequently come to Clark's defense after physical play by opponents and has become one of the higher-profile players in the league. In an ESPN article published last month, she voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports, which led to small protests and rallies outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland. After Saturday's game, Carrington posted the words "white privilege" on social media, although she denied it was a comment on her ejection.
On-Court Success Continues
The off-court storylines do not appear to be affecting the Fever's play. They have the best record in the Eastern Conference and the fourth-best in the league. Tuesday's win was Indiana's ninth win in their last 12 games.
"We really did play with joy, and with everything going on, that's kind of been hard to do," Cunningham said. "Tonight was the night that we all just clicked and we had fun. We did it for Steph and we did it for everyone in the locker room."
