Megan Rapinoe condemns journalist for asking player about giving Caitlin Clark black eye: ‘That feels racist’

Former American girls’s soccer participant Megan Rapinoe spoke out towards USA At this time journalist Christine Brennan for asking WNBA participant DiJonai Carrington about an incident by which she gave Caitlin Clark a black eye. 

Clark suffered the black eye when Carrington poked her with considered one of her fingernails in Clark’s first playoff recreation on Sept. 22. 

Brennan requested Carrington in regards to the incident and if she did it on goal throughout a media scrum on Sept. 24 forward of Recreation 2 between the Connecticut Solar and Indiana Fever. Carrington responded by insisting it was not on goal.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Rapinoe commented on the alternate throughout an episode of her podcast, “A Contact Extra with Sue Chook and Megan Rapinoe,” on Wednesday, saying the query was “loaded” and “felt racist.”

“Listening to it initially, my visceral response was, ‘That’s not good, that does not really feel good, that feels racist, to be sincere. That feels such as you’re placing DiJonai in an unattainable state of affairs,'” Rapinoe stated.

“I believe it’s so disingenuous for Christine Brennan and different media members to say, ‘I’m simply asking the query,’ however actually what’s taking place is your pure intuition to guard and narrate White gamers vs. go after and narrate Black gamers, that to me is absolutely the difficulty.”

Rapinoe and Chook, her partner, mocked the concept that Carrington was even able to deliberately poking Clark within the eye. 

Indiana’s Caitlin Clark is proven after being hit within the eye throughout the first spherical of the WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Solar Area in Uncasville, Conn., on Sept. 22, 2024. (Mark Smith-Imagn Photos)

“The premise of the query depends on the assumption that DiJonai is concentrating on, that DiJonai particularly swatted or swiped into Caitlin’s eyeball. Initially, the square-footage of her eyeball may be very small. Have you learnt how arduous it’s to poke somebody within the eye?” Rapinoe stated.

Chook added, “That was my first thought. Have you learnt how troublesome it might be to intention and poke somebody within the eye?”

Each Chook and Rapinoe additionally went on to passionately deny the notion that Clark has been focused this 12 months by opposing gamers, calling the thought “disingenuous.”

A lot of Clark’s followers have expressed outrage in her rookie 12 months over cases by which she was bodily dealt with by opposing gamers.

AS A FEMALE ATHLETE, I DO NOT CONSENT TO PLAYING ALONGSIDE MEN IN COLLEGIATE SPORTS

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever reacts after a flagrant foul dedicated by the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Area on August 30, 2024, in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Photos)

Clark took an unlawful hip verify from Chicago Sky ahead Chennedy Carter on June 1 when the Sky participant charged proper into the Fever rookie and knocked her down throughout a stoppage in play. Clark stated after the sport that Carter’s hit “was not a basketball play.”

Sky rookie and Clark’s longtime rival, Angel Reese, slammed her arm onto Clark’s head whereas attempting to dam a layup in a recreation between the 2 groups on June 16. Then in August, Sky participant Diamond DeShields despatched Clark flying after which sliding throughout the hardwood on a play that was later upgraded to a flagrant-1 foul.

Carrington’s incident, which gave Clark a black eye, was the latest instance, but it surely wasn’t known as a foul. Simply days after Brennan questioned Carrington about it, the WNBA participant’s union launched an announcement on Sept. 27 condemning her for the query.

“To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You aren’t fooling anybody. That so-called interview within the title of journalism was a blatant try and bait knowledgeable athlete into taking part in a story that’s false and designed to gasoline racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You can not disguise behind your tenure.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Indiana guard Caitlin Clark shouts in ache as she is helped by her teammates after struggling an harm throughout the second quarter towards Connecticut, Might 20, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire)

The assertion went on to accuse Brennan of “abus[ing] your privileges,” including she does “not deserve the credentials issued to you.” The union additionally known as on USA At this time to take motion.

Brennan defended her query throughout an interview on CNN this week.

“I’d ask that query 100 instances out of 100. I’d ask it at present. The athlete has each alternative to then take that query and go together with it any approach she desires. And clearly she did. So, that’s the chance that I believe any journalist offers an athlete once you’re protecting a narrative, to offer them the chance to offer their facet of it,” Brennan stated. 

Observe Fox Information Digital’s sports activities protection on X and subscribe to the Fox Information Sports activities Huddle e-newsletter.