Carrington Dug Her Nails in Clark’s Eye Leaving Her With a Black Eye—A Clear Flagrant Foul the Refs Decided to Ignore.
Refs Giving WNBA a Black Eye
This is the worst officiated basketball game of all time… – X User
DiJonai Carrington made WNBA news recently for all the wrong reasons when she dug her nails into Caitlin Clark’s eye after a pass attempt in the Sun’s 93-69 victory over the Fever. Not only was a flagrant foul not called, but the refs chose to bury their whistles on the play.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever/Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images/AFP
Who Gave Caitlin Clark a Black Eye?
If you’ve been following the WNBA standings and the postseason WNBA games, then you are no doubt aware of a flagrant foul that was egregiously ignored by the refs when the Sun’s Carrington attempted to block a pass from Clark. On the follow-through, she curled her right hand in a downward motion, much like a hawk sinking its talons into its prey.
Clark immediately recoiled, covered her eye, and waited for a whistle that never came. The play resumed, and Edwina Scissorhands never even gave a cursory look to see if her fallen foe was okay. The Caitlin Clark stats reveal she never fully recovered, with the injury occurring only 90 seconds into the game.
It was reprehensible on so many levels, not the least of which is the conduct of the officials to turn a blind eye to the play, which, parenthetically, is precisely what could have happened to Clark should one of Carrington’s glamor nails penetrated her retina instead of her eyebrow, leaving her with a black eye instead of a permanent disability.
Despite some arguing the foul was not intentional (it was), the fallout was quick and unforgiving to Carrington on social media platform X.
“The most petty and bitter? Dijonai Carrington intentionally poked CC in the eye. it’s not even debatable.”
“That’s…bad. Players should play her hard all they want. Even hard fouls are fair game. This is just nasty dirty shit though”
“Dirtbag play by DiJonai Carrington….I gave her the benefit of the doubt. She is a royal POS. That’s as UNNATURAL a move as I have ever seen in basketball. She flat eye gouged Caitlin Clark. Clark should be pressing charges on this garbage! Disgraceful!”
Blind, Deaf, I’m a WNBA Ref!
Although much of the derision was focused on Carrington for not only a cheap shot but one that could have caused ocular trauma, the refs did not escape the venom and vitriol of fans taking to social media. Here is just a sample from posters on X.
“Very embarassing game from an admin perspective for the WNBA. Likely one of the highest viewed games in league history and they are completely 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing any momentum”
“I’m watching the game with a friend who has never watched the WNBA in his life and he’s asked me twice now if these referees are volunteers or are they actual professional refs. I’m starting to wonder myself now….”
“This is the worst officiated basketball game of all time.”
Dijonai Carrington stabbed Caitlin Clark in the eye with a fingernail. It could’ve damaged the career of the WNBA’s meal ticket and the biggest American women’s sports star of all time. ESPN and the WNBA have yet to address this story. Carrington should be suspended.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) September 23, 2024
It’s truly a discouraging moment for a league that has seen record viewership this year, and the damn shame of it all is that Clark’s safety and welfare were not only disregarded but her tormentor’s behavior was rewarded by being ignored.
Carrington has a history of disparaging Clark, the league’s cash cow, but also the Indiana Fever fans. On the surface, that would be just fine with me, as there’s nothing better than a heated rivalry but Carrington has decided to continue targeting Clark.
The WNBA needs to do better and be better; otherwise, the fans will tune out just as quickly as they tuned in
