Manchester United's Carrington Clash with Sheffield Wednesday is Over
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham called it just another game, downplaying the charged atmosphere between her team and Chicago Sky.
Cunningham was speaking before a match against the Sky, which came after a high-profile incident involving Indiana's DiJonai Carrington and Cunningham. Carrington had been listed as questionable with a left foot injury but was cleared to play after going through warm-ups.
The play that sparked the controversy occurred on August 8, when Cunningham was knocked to the court by Carrington on a fast break. The foul was initially called as a Flagrant 1 but was later upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after a review.
Cunningham and Carrington both checked in for the first time with 3:04 left in the first quarter, with no major issues in the first half. Cunningham had three points in six minutes at the break, and Carrington had four points on 2-for-7 shooting in more than 11 minutes.
Chicago Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he didn't have any conversations with his players before the game about the charged atmosphere for their previous matchup. Marsh stated that the team was focused on the next game and not the past controversy.
Carrington had posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media after the incident, tagging the Fever. However, in a later post, she clarified that she never claimed the assessment of the Flagrant 2 was the result of white privilege.
Cunningham was unfazed by the controversy, saying, "I (couldn't) care less about what she does, what she tweets, any of that. I’m here to play basketball. There's going to be people who are going to talk about it … but to me, it’s just another basketball game."
The incident has sparked a wider discussion about racism and bias in sports. However, in this case, it appears that the controversy has been resolved, and the teams are moving forward.
The next match between Indiana and Chicago is scheduled for later this month. The teams will likely be focused on their on-court performance rather than the past controversy.
Source: Yahoo Sports