Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington addressed her Flagrant 2 foul and ejection from Saturday's 90-86 loss to the Indiana Fever, telling reporters Monday the contact with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was not intentional.
Carrington was ejected in the first quarter after hitting Cunningham in the side of the head while attempting to block her layup in transition. Officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2.
Carrington said her intent was to make a defensive play and described the contact as "unfortunate." She said she consistently plays with that intensity and cited her return from injury as a possible factor in her timing.
"It's just who I am. I'm never going to just let an open layup be had," Carrington said. "Look, it might happen again. That's just how I play. I'm always going to go all out and try to get a stop."
Sky coach Tyler Marsh defended Carrington during shootaround, saying her intent was to make a play at the ball. He called her passionate and hard-nosed and described the outcome as unfortunate.
After her ejection, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media. The post was later deleted. She also posted "8/23" with an emoji, an apparent reference to the next Sky-Fever game on Aug. 23 in Chicago.
Carrington addressed the posts Monday, saying in a response to former NFL player Emmanuel Acho that she never claimed the foul assessment was white privilege. She declined to elaborate further.
Fever coach Stephanie White said she did not believe Carrington intentionally aimed for Cunningham's neck but said she thought the Flagrant 2 call was correct. White declined to comment on the social media post.
Cunningham said she believed the foul was retaliation for her own flagrant foul on Sky guard Jacy Sheldon. Cunningham immediately confronted Carrington after the contact on Saturday.
