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The players of the WNBA are not happy with USA Today’s Christine Brennan.
The columnist drew widespread criticism from players and fans after her questions directed toward DiJonai Carrington following an incident in which the Sun guard inadvertently gave Fever star Caitlin Clark a black eye.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association, which includes all 144 players, said Brennan is “not entitled to interviews” with players after she was “indecent and downright insincere” in her questioning when she asked Carrington if she intended to swat Clark in the eye during Game 1 of the Sun-Fever first-round playoff series.
“This week was dedicated to celebrating and amplifying A’ja [Wilson], Caitlin, DiJonai, and Napheesa [Collier] for their hard work and truly exceptional performances all season long. We were not going to distract from their successes, nor would we dim the glow of the spotlight that centered them. They have earned that focus and celebration. But we will take this moment now to stand up for them and the rest of our members. Every single one of them. Because we call B.S.,” the statement, signed by WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson, began.
“To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You are not fooling anyone. That so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You cannot hide behind your tenure.”
The statement indicated union feels Brennan “abused” her privileges, does not “deserve” her credentials and is not “entitled” to interviews.
The players called on the USA Today Network to explain Brennan’s actions — and the WNBA to review its policies.
“Journalists ask questions and seek truth,” the outlet responded. “At USA Today our mission is to report in an unbiased manner. We reject the notion that the interview perpetuated any narrative other than to get the player’s perspective directly. Christine Brennan is well regarded as an advocate for women and athletes, but first and foremost, she’s a journalist.”
Brennan did not offer a statement of her own when contacted by The Post.
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
Brennan posted her interview with Carrington, which took place on ahead of the Fever’s season-ending loss to the Sun in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday, on X.
“Did you, when you went and uh kind of swatted at Caitlin — did you intend to hit her in the eye,” Brennan asked. “And if so, could you just — if not either way, could you talk about what happened on that play?”
Carrington appeared caught off guard by the question.
“I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye,” Carrington said. “That doesn’t even make sense to me.
“But no I didn’t. I didn’t know I hit her actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and I hit her. So obviously it’s never intentional. That’s not even the type of player that I am. So yeah.”
Brennan then asked if Carrington and her teammate, Sun guard Marina Mabrey, were laughing about it together.
“It looked like later on in the game they caught you laughing about it,” Brennan said.
“No, I just told you I didn’t even know I hit her. So, I can’t laugh about something that I didn’t know happened,” Carrington said before moving on to another reporter’s question.
The Fever All-Star addressed the play, saying the eye-poke by Carrington “wasn’t intentional.”
The statement came after the WNBA denounced negative fan behavior, including racist, derogatory and threatening comments in a separate statement Wednesday night.
Carrington, among other players, spoke out about online harassment and death threats during the 2024 playoffs.
Carrington revealed a threatening email she received in a post on her Instagram Story, and her teammate, Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, called out Fever fans for racist comments during their opening-round playoff series with the Fever.
Clark also had an interaction with a fan that was removed during Game 2.
Carrington, who is a WNBPA representative for the Sun, reposted the statement on her Instagram story and tagged Brennan.
“Goofy,” she wrote.
