Two days after Chennedy Carter committed a Flagrant 1 foul against Caitlin Clark in Saturday’s game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon called the actions of her guard “not appropriate.”
“Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game,” Weatherspoon said in a statement Monday. “She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are.”
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Speaking at a media availability Monday, Weatherspoon said that she talked to Carter on the bench after the foul. Asked if there will be more discipline, Weatherspoon said that she and Carter addressed it “internally.”
“Those are the things that we keep inside,” Weatherspoon said. “And trust me, it was dealt with and dealt with very well.”
Carter’s foul occurred late in the third quarter of Indiana’s win when, after making a basket, Carter knocked down Clark as the Fever rookie awaited an inbounds pass. Carter appeared to say something before slamming her shoulder into Clark, causing her to fall to the ground. Carter was whistled for an away-from-the-play foul, giving Clark her lone free throw attempt of the game, but officials did not upgrade it to a flagrant at the time.
Carter, who led Chicago with 19 points off the bench, initially declined to speak about the altercation.
“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” Carter said.
Carter later commented on a social media post showing the news conference where she declined to answer questions about Clark, writing, “And that’s that on that cause beside three point shooting what does she bring to the table man.”
On Monday, Carter said she had no regrets for declining to speak about Clark after Saturday’s game.
‘I’m a person that when something happens, I need time to get my thoughts together,” Carter said. “Heat of the moment answering is not probably the best answer.”
When asked about her social media comments, Carter said it was “just jokes” and it’s “all about basketball.”
The WNBA upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1 on Sunday after reviewing the check. Carter won’t be suspended, the league confirmed Sunday.
Weatherspoon said it was a learning moment for Carter.
Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon has released a statement re: Carter's foul on Clark
Weatherspon says they discussed it and it "was not appropriate"
"(She) understandsthat there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this, as we all will." pic.twitter.com/HT9Ki7A82K
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) June 3, 2024
“Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this, as we all will,” Weatherspoon said.
Clark said she “wasn’t expecting” the hard foul from Carter, calling it “not a basketball play” during the ESPN in-game interview.
“It’s just like, ‘Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is,” Clark said after the game.
For Carter, this was her first infraction of the season, meaning she did not automatically qualify for a suspension.
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The Fever beat the Sky 71-70 on Saturday to secure their first home win of the season. On Sunday, the league fined the Sky and rookie forward Angel Reese for failing to make herself available to the media postgame.
Weatherspoon, who played in the WNBA from 1997 to 2004, is in her first season as the Sky coach. Chicago hired Weatherspoon in October 2023 to succeed James Wade.
The Sky have a 3-4 record. Chicago and Indiana meet again on June 16.
Required reading
- WNBA upgrades Chennedy Carter’s foul on Caitlin Clark, fines Sky over Angel Reese media violation
- A first Fever home win, Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter run-in and Cardoso’s debut: Key takeaways
- Caitlin Clark takes hard foul but doesn’t flinch in Fever’s win over Angel Reese and Sky
(Photo: Jeff Haynes / NBAE via Getty Images)
Lukas Weese is a Staff Editor of News at The Athletic. Before The Athletic, Lukas was a freelance sports journalist, working as an associate editor at Sportsnet, an OHL reporter for the Toronto Star and had bylines in outlets such as ESPN's Andscape, USA Today, Complex, Yahoo Sports, GOLF Magazine, Just Women's Sports and Raptors Republic. Lukas also does freelance play-by-play broadcasting. Follow Lukas on Twitter @Weesesports
