Some WNBA players and a few wacky media figures are trying to counter the media frenzy around Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clifton. They have even used abusive language in an attempt to get their “points across”.
Angel Reese and Chennedy Reese of the Chicago Sky are among them. Carter, dubbed the anti-Caitlin Clark by her college teammates, was in the hot seat for a foul committed Saturday against Clark. She roughly shoulder-checked Clark with a non-ball action and caused Clark to drop to the ground. Reese clapped and hugged Carter at the end of the quarter.
It is strange that Carter was only penalized for a “away from ball” foul during the match. She refused to answer any questions during the post-game press conference. Two days later, however, the WNBA ruled it a flagrant-1 foul. The Sky’s coach issued a non apology for Carter’s behavior, while Carter continued to insist that she is just a passionately emotive player and shouldn’t have her character defined by one incident.
Sky players have taken to Twitter to express their displeasure at the “harassment,” they claim, that Kennedy received from a man with a camera who asked questions about Caitlin, and engaged in media-like behavior, when Kennedy stepped off the bus to play in Washington DC.
A man confronted Chicago Sky players outside their Washington, D.C. hotel on Wednesday, a day before the Mystics game. This incident occurred just four days after Chennedy Clark, a rookie Indiana Fever player, was fouled hard by Carter.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said to the Chicago Sun-Times the man had approached the team holding a camera, and was specifically looking for Carter. Sky security de-escalated the situation instantly and escorted Carter away. The team decided not to involve the police.
Reese is one of several players that called the alleged actions and words of the man “NASTY WORK” and said it “needs TO STOP”.
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
A video of the incident has been released. It’s a partial clip, but it gives us an idea as to what occurred:
This is the harassment that the Chicago Sky were tweeting about last night? pic.twitter.com/gzFzL1chKs
— Jack McGuire (@JackMacCFB) June 6, 2024
The video appears to contradict Isabelle Harrison’s story, in which she claimed that they “couldn’t even step out of the bus !!!” Security intervened.
Michaela Onyenwere claimed, without any evidence, that the video had been edited to remove the worst parts of a man’s behaviour:
Interesting how the video posted was edited and doesn’t include when he harassed our staff while calling us “ghetto b******” and saying “women’s sports isn’t s***”.
We are not about to normalize things like that.
— Michaela Onyenwere (@monyenwere_) June 6, 2024
The video, it is clear, has thrown into doubt the official team story about what happened. Some on social media have pushed back against this “harassment narrative”:
Angel Reese and a bunch of other players on the WNBA’s Chicago Sky claimed that they were “harassed” while getting to their hotel in DC.
Turns the “harassment” was a guy politely asking a question to the chick that hipchecked Caitlin Clark.
They demand to be treated the same as… pic.twitter.com/ygBuXuMtca
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 6, 2024
Is this man’s behavior acceptable? I report, you decide.
