Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, a hoops legend with a storied career in women’s basketball, has broken her silence regarding the hard hit her player, Chennedy Carter, unleashed on the Indiana Fever’s first overall pick and women’s basketball sensation Caitlin Clark. In an official statement, the respected coach called Carter’s actions “not appropriate” and said they were done “in the heat of the moment.”
A foul that caused a firestorm
The hard foul Carter committed on the former Iowa Hawkeyes and NCAA superstar occurred during the Fever-Sky match-up last weekend, yet to this day, it’s been the topic of national talk shows. Such shows the spotlight on the WNBA and women’s basketball, in general, right now. Showing accountability for her guard’s actions, T-Spoon wrote:
“Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are,” the statement read.
Spoon added that the matter was dealt with internally at Sky’s media availability session and refused to divulge further details regarding her conversation with Carter. However, she did mention that her message couldn’t have been more well-received.
“Those are the things that we keep inside. And trust me, it was dealt with and dealt with very well,” Weatherspoon shared. “Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this, as we all will.”
Didn’t want to answer Caitlin-related questions after the game
After her body check on Clark, which the league later upgraded to a flagrant-1, Chennedy fanned the flames further by refusing to answer questions regarding the Fever’s highly-touted rookie. The WNBA noted this and slapped the team with a $5,000 fine for their refusal to adhere to the league’s policies regarding media responsibilities.
However, Carter explained that she wasn’t dodging questions about Clark but rather trying to keep her composure, especially after a heated game that the Sky lost by a single point, 71-70.
‘I’m a person that when something happens, I need time to get my thoughts together. Heat of the moment answering is not probably the best answer,” Chennedy remarked.
She also clarified that her social media posts, which some interpreted as disparaging towards Clark and her abilities, were not meant to be taken seriously but were “just jokes.”
With her legendary play in the NCAA and stellar performance in the pros, Caitlin has not only brought many eyeballs to the WNBA but also raised the bar for women’s basketball. The league and its players would do well to be aware of this incredible development and be more cautious in how they handle themselves on and off the court, as this incident has shown.
