One of the most talked-about incidents in the WNBA’s 2024 season involved Caitlin Clark of the Fever being poked in the eye by DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun during a playoff game on September 22.
Dijonai Carrington caught Caitlin Clark in the eye on a follow through and the referees missed it pic.twitter.com/djKKqwLkVp
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) September 22, 2024
Some fans speculated that Carrington may have intentionally poked Clark’s eye during the game.
This speculation led USA Today journalist Christine Brennan, who is writing a book about Clark, to question Carrington about the incident on September 24.
I asked DiJonai Carrington about that moment early in Sunday’s Indiana-Connecticut game when she caught Caitlin Clark in the eye. Here’s her answer: pic.twitter.com/DnQVYi0r6J
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) September 24, 2024
Carrington was taken aback by the question, leading to backlash from the WNBA’s Players Association (WNBPA) towards Brennan for her inquiry.
Clark addressed the controversy in a December 10 article, stating that she did not believe the eye poke was intentional and condemning the line of questioning directed at Carrington.
Brennan defended her questions in a December 14 interview, emphasizing her role as a journalist to ask tough questions and provide athletes with an opportunity to address controversy.
She reiterated her commitment to asking similar questions in the future, regardless of the athlete’s gender.
Christine is not upset with Caitlin and doesn’t think she was thrown under the bus by Caitlin. https://t.co/ijLfE31dmx pic.twitter.com/MYfXRpU5u1
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) December 14, 2024
The response to Brennan’s comments remains to be seen.
