Riley Gaines shuts down DiJonai Carrington’s ‘white privilege’ criticism following ejection for ‘assaulting’ fellow WNBA star Sophie Cunningham
Riley Gaines has shut down DiJonai Carrington’s “white privilege” criticism following the Chicago Sky forward’s ejection for striking Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, calling on the WNBA to suspend Carrington over the controversy.
DiJonai Carrington calls out Sophie Cunningham’s ‘white privilege’
Carrington was ejected during the first half of the Fever’s 90-86 victory over the Sky after striking Cunningham in the face as she attempted a layup. Officials assessed Carrington a flagrant foul and tossed her from the game.
The controversy continued when Carrington went to the locker room and posted “White privilege @indianafever” on Threads, appearing to suggest race played a role in her ejection.
Cunningham rejected that argument after the game.
“This has nothing to do with race,” Cunningham said, according to ESPN’s Kareem Copeland. “Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason even to play that card.”
Riley Gaines calls for discipline from the WNBA
The incident prompted widespread reaction on social media, including from Gaines, the former NCAA swimmer and Fox News personality, who argued Carrington should face further discipline from the league.
“She knows the WNBA won’t do a single thing of significance about it,” Gaines said. “Imagine if the roles were reversed — if Sophie made a comment similar to this — then she likely would never play again.”
“And, actually, we just saw this from coach Sandy Brondello. She got disciplined for making, I believe, a pretty innocent, maybe off-hand comment talking about Angel Reese and saying she’s a protected species. She was suspended and disciplined, and I think if that’s the standard, then I think DiJonai should be [suspended] too,” Gaines continued.
Gaines added on X, “Assaulting a white girl and defending it by claiming white privilege is the definition of black privilege.”
‘No space for hate’ initiative
The WNBA does not have a specific policy restricting what players can post on social media, according to reports.
However, the league operates its “No Space for Hate” initiative, which uses artificial intelligence technology to monitor online posts concerning players, coaches and fans.
The WNBA’s digital community guidelines also condemn “posts that contain abusive, sexist, racist, homophobic, offensive or obscene remarks, gestures, symbols or images.”