The Connecticut Sun took down the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of their WNBA playoff opener, with Indiana struggling to find offensive rhythm, particularly All-Star rookie Caitlin Clark.
Clark managed just 11 points, shooting 4-of-17 from the field and 2-of-13 from beyond the arc. While this performance could be chalked up to an off night, many fans speculated that her shooting woes stemmed from an incident in the first quarter.
Clark was poked in the eye by Connecticut’s Dijonai Carrington, which left her on the ground for several moments and later sporting a black eye.
🚨Video evidence suggests Dijonai Carrington may have intentionally hit Caitlin Clark early in the first quarter of the Sun v. Fever playoff game, resulting in a black eye.
No foul was called. The #WNBA needs to investigate immediately. Does this look unintentional to you? pic.twitter.com/ue2Sf03e9O
— The Boston Post (@ABostonPost) September 23, 2024
A video circulating on X, with 1.2M views, suggests the poke might have been intentional.
The conversation gained momentum on social media, with posts like one from @logo3sports saying, “Replay on Carrington’s eye poke to Caitlin Clark. Looks intentional to me.”
Replay on Carrington’s eye poke to Caitlin Clark. Looks intentional to me 🤔 pic.twitter.com/aA23GB0KOg
— Logo 3 Sports (@logo3sports) September 23, 2024
When asked about the situation during Tuesday’s media session, Clark dismissed any notions of intent, stating, “It wasn’t intentional by any means. You just watched the play, it wasn’t intentional.”
Asked Caitlin Clark on what she’d say to the crowd that thinks the Carrington hit to her eye was on purpose: “It wasn’t intentional by any means. You just watched the play, it wasn’t intentional.” pic.twitter.com/HiMNiibpy5
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) September 24, 2024
Despite Clark’s remarks, calls for Carrington’s suspension have been growing. Jason Whitlock, a media personality, tweeted that Carrington should be suspended, with his post amassing over 920,000 views and 34,000 likes.
“ESPN and the WNBA have yet to address this story,” Whitlock wrote. “Carrington should be suspended.”
Dijonai Carrington stabbed Caitlin Clark in the eye with a fingernail. It could've damaged the career of the WNBA's meal ticket and the biggest American women's sports star of all time. ESPN and the WNBA have yet to address this story. Carrington should be suspended.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) September 23, 2024
Carrington, who also addressed the media, denied hitting Clark on purpose, saying, “I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. It doesn’t make sense to me. But no, I didn’t. I was trying to make a play on the ball.”
DiJonai Carrington on *the play* with Caitlin Clark: “I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. It 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.” pic.twitter.com/uh04AxoEtV
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) September 24, 2024
No foul was called on the play, so the WNBA is unlikely to take further action. Both players made it clear there was no intent behind the incident. Game 2 of the series is set for Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.
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