The fallout from Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s hard foul on Caitlin Clark keeps getting uglier.
Four days after Carter delivered an unprompted shoulder check on the Indiana Fever rookie, three of her Sky teammates reported being harassed at a team hotel. The Sky face the Washington Mystics in a road game on Thursday.
While Carter is not mentioned by name in any of the tweets, Angel Reese and Isabelle Harrison said one of their teammates was specifically targeted with a camera in her face as the team exited its bus. Michaela Onyenwere said the team’s security managed to de-escalate the situation.
finding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK. this really is outta control and needs to STOP.
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) June 5, 2024
WOW!!! Thank GOD for security. My teammate being harassed at our hotel is insane! Couldn’t even step off the bus!!!
— Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) June 5, 2024
Getting harassed at our hotel is where the line needs to be drawn. Some “fans” have NO CHILLLLL 🤮
— Michaela Onyenwere (@monyenwere_) June 5, 2024
We have security, and they did a great job of de-escalating the situation/protecting us. It’s still extremely weird & crosses the boundaries meeting us right when we get off the bus. https://t.co/HZZ60ytx3E
— Michaela Onyenwere (@monyenwere_) June 5, 2024
The Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile later provided more detail, reporting a single man approached the team with a camera and attempted to speak with Carter. Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca reportedly said police weren’t called and the man was escorted away by team security.
From the Sun-Times:
“It was over as fast as it started,” Pagliocca said. “I’m very confident in our security always making our players feel safe. Today was a great example of how critical they are to our team.”
The incident is the latest sign that Carter’s foul on Clark, which was later upgraded to a flagrant foul, has evolved into arguably the most controversial play in the WNBA this season, a flash point of debate over Clark’s place in the WNBA.
The 25-year-old Carter declined to discuss the foul after the game and later said she had “no regrets” about what she did. On social media, she went as far as questioning whether Clark, a three-time NCAA scoring and assists leader, was good at anything other than 3-point shooting.
Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon released a statement saying the foul was “not appropriate,” while Reese, who was seen cheering on the sideline when Carter fouled Clark, said she was happy to “take the bad guy role.”
Sky fans gave Carter a standing ovation in her next home game, but many other fans criticized the play and her lack of remorse, with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma also saying Clark was being targeted. And then there were, of course, questions over whether the backlash was disproportionate as it became fodder for talking heads big and small.
The reaction has even managed to reach Congress, with Rep. Jim Banks releasing a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert asking what the league is doing to “curb excessive physical targeting of specific players.”
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