Indiana Fever coach defends herself after refusing to back Sophie Cunningham: 'Grace will win, kindness will win ... go to hell'

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White told critics of her handling of the controversy surrounding Sophie Cunningham to “go to Hell.”

Last Saturday, Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul after striking Cunningham in the head and neck during a game. Following the incident, White publicly said she did not believe Carrington intentionally struck Cunningham in the neck. Her comments drew backlash from Fever fans, with some booing White during Tuesday’s game. The Indiana Lieutenant Governor also called for White to be fired.

“The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win. We are united. We are ‌connected. We will not be divided,” White told reporters after Tuesday’s game. “Every day, these women put their a** on the line. Every day. When ​they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win, and kindness will win. I stand by them. I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to Hell.”

“Our players’ success, our players’ health and wellness, our players’ safety is always a top priority for me,” she added. “One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players. I didn’t see the play in real time. I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie’s OK. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over and over on replay, you can see that. I didn’t have that in real time.”

Cunningham subsequently defended White, saying that the coach had not seen the video before making her initial comments.

“Coach loves us. She didn’t see the clip ... and that’s OK. Me and Steph are great. Steph is great with all of us, and so it’s really the outside noise that’s trying to distract us, but we’re good,” Cunningham said.

The flagrant foul raised eyebrows as it comes amid ongoing controversy regarding the Fever. The team has received attention following the rise of Caitlin Clark as the biggest star in women’s basketball, much to the frustration of other WNBA athletes.

Cunningham has also become a controversial figure within the WNBA after publicly opposing transgender-identifying biological males competing in women’s and girls’ sports. Her comments have drawn protest from both fans and those within the league.

After she was ejected for the foul, Carrington posted the words “white privilege” on social media, which appeared to be directed at Cunningham. Carrington later denied that the post was related to her ejection.