Caitlin Clark found a champion on the Chicago Tribune editorial board on Monday.
The newspaper's editorial board published a full-throated defense of the Indiana Fever rookie after Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter took her hip-first to the ground in the third quarter of their matchup Saturday. The article compared Carter's foul to an assault.
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Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) receives a flagrant foul for tackling Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark on June 1, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“The foul committed by Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter was egregious,” the article reads. “Outside of a sporting competition, it would have been seen as an assault. Even within a sporting context, it was bad: before the ball went in, Carter appeared behind Clark, pushing her on the hip and knocking her to the ground. Lip readers interpreted “simultaneously a five-letter epithet dancing on the Sky player's lips. She should have been kicked out of the game.”
The editorial board added that Clark has done nothing to deserve the treatment he has been receiving.
The article also said Clark has more pressure on his shoulders than most players in the league and asked other players to take care of things, like Carter's foul, before it gets out of hand.
“They are also human beings and, in Clark's case, a rookie player on whose shoulder rests more pressure than most, if not all, other players in the league feel,” the article reads. “She has to compete on her own merits, but basketball has rules and if the WNBA chews her up and spits her out because she's too afraid of being called a racist to protect her from racially tinged animosity, or even fouls like Carter committed , will have done a disservice to his own game, now at a major turning point, thanks in large part to, yes, Clark.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark brings the ball up court against the Chicago Sky on June 1, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“It is also up to the experienced WNBA players to nip this nonsense in the bud before it is too late.”
Carter said later Monday that he had no complaints about the consequences of the foul.
Chicago head coach Teresa Weatherspoon gave a longer statement on the matter, calling Carter's foul inappropriate.
“Physical play, intensity and competitive spirit are hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball,” Weatherspoon said. “Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened that was not appropriate, nor what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations in the court, and she will learn from this as we all will.
Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon watches during the game against the Indiana Fever on June 1, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
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