WNBA Coach’s Lie Backfires as Sophie Cunningham Foul Footage Emerges

WNBA Coach’s Lie Backfires as Sophie Cunningham Foul Footage Emerges

When they go low, we go high. Love will win. And kindness will win. I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.  Well, that’s kind. I like her kindness.  to say, define kindness.    Let’s take a look at this play because you are going to whether you know basketball or not, you’re going to see this play and be like, “Oh, I think that’s a foul.

” And the reason why is pretty obvious, even if the coach doesn’t agree. Take a look.  face coming down trying to prevent the layup, but that is just a hard hit. That’s definitely going to be upgraded, I think, to a flagrant two, Ryan.  I think that is going to be a flagrant two. There is  wind up  wind up, there is follow-through, there’s potential for injury.

 without the  Cunningham in a vulnerable position in the air.  Oh, wow.  Yeah, I mean, there’s no question why Sophie  So, the name Sophie Cunningham, recognize that from the last few weeks, the young woman who was brave and courageous enough to come out and say, “Only women belong in women’s sports.

” Dr. Drew’s favorite athlete from here on out, for sure, with the the the point finger point seen around the world. And so, now people are coming for her. Including DiJonai Carrington from the Chicago Sky. Sophie, of course, plays right here. I’m in Indiana with the Indiana Fever with Caitlin Clark.

 And that was a heck of a hard foul. DiJonai’s a really hard player, but that is called a flagrant two because it is intentional and she was not going for the ball, which is an automatic ejection, which is what happened. But did you see the bottom of the screen? She gets ejected, she goes straight to the locker room, within 30 minutes tweets, “White privilege.

” So, when these women I I are we allowed to call them women? I don’t know. The when these women talk about not wanting to have politics or anything else come into their sport, and shame on you media and social media for bringing politics and and and all the controversy, but then you turn what is a great easy call for you to be ejected with a flagrant two foul and you call that white privilege? That is an issue.

 It was clear as day to anybody watching and then the problem is Sophie’s head coach Stephanie White, the the the young player who was basically assaulted there, she was asked about the foul after that game. Um she said, “You know what? She defended DiJonai.” Couple days later, she was she was getting crushed, you guys.

 She was getting crushed on social media and saying, “How did you not defend your player?” At every level at any sport, a coach always defends his or her player even if they don’t agree with it, even if they think their player maybe flopped, you always have your player’s back. This is what Sophie’s coach said instead, Stephanie White.

 Um this is more for an online community that’s crying trying to create narratives that simply don’t exist. Trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am of what I’m about. Our player success our player health and wellness, our player safety is always a top priority for me.

 One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players. For those who have anything to say about the play in the last game, I didn’t see the play in real time. I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie’s okay. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over and over on replay you can see that.

 I didn’t have that in real time.  Were there any sp-  I take personally  Sorry.  any suggestions that I don’t 100% always have my players’ back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time. When they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win and kindness will win. I stand by them.

 I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.  Well, that’s kind. I like her kindness.  say, define [laughter] kindness. What’s kindness? And real quick, throw up the picture of the foul. This is a still shot of the foul. See the red circle? That is Stephanie White, who was staring directly at the two players when the foul took place.

 And again, you don’t need 12 replays. It is as blatant as it gets. And so, there’s just again, gaslighting and then I’m mad at you for calling me out on it when I should have had my players’ back and I’m going to lead with love and kindness and you can go to hell from there.  Well, look, flagrant fouls happen in all sports, particularly in in, you know, basketball, there’s flagrant fouls.

 And what I don’t understand, the the the reason there isn’t even an issue is flagrant foul happened, it was Sophie Cunningham, so she looked targeted, but you know, in the NBA, stuff like that happens, you just you move on. Not nothing, somebody people don’t go to the locker room and then start talking. And that’s where it got off the rail.

And then the coach drove it even further. I don’t understand those instincts. And by the way, the woman that that that committed the foul comes from a very upper middle class family and a privileged upbringing, you know, in a very much, you would call it a silver spoon upbringing. Like, she was very privileged all the way through her life and and collegiate career.

 was an NFL player. Yeah.  Yeah. So, the whole thing, it’s so bizarre to me. And and to me, I I’m going to just respond to this as a man. It turns us off to the whole there the the WNBA. It’s like, what do you This is not This is not sport This is not the And then the way the coach behaved there, we are kind, kindness will prevail, F everybody, F you all.

It’s [laughter] like, that This is like, hey, this is what we’re sick of, everybody. We’re [laughter] tired of this. We’re tired It’s all on full display in this one little one-act play we’ve seen here around Sophie Cunningham. Jill, what do you think?  I just don’t understand the racism piece. I really don’t and I I want to, but none of these people who are African black Americans will have this conversation with me.

 I keep waiting Van Van Jones was going to call me Sunday, didn’t call me. I’m still waiting for Van Jones to call me. And I just want to ask humbly, like what do I not understand? How is that white privilege? Teach it to me. I because all of you guys who are affluent black Americans that are cherished by Americans of all colors constantly play the race card and we don’t get it.

 I don’t get it. I don’t get it. So either make me get it or let me explain to you why we don’t get it and why this is so corrosive and so divisive. I don’t understand it. And obviously this woman DeGeneres, she obviously hates white people, but you’re telling me she’s had this great upbringing, she hasn’t been disadvantaged at all.

What the F am I missing? Teach me. I don’t get it. And it’s just going to perpetuate and then white people bow down cuz of their white guilt and that’s when the coaches are cowards and weaklings. It’s just how do we get through this team? Got to go forward.  Yeah, I agree with that.  It’s funny.  How?  Of all of all people on our show, you you might think I could have some answers to those very valid questions and I don’t because um I was not raised with a silver spoon.

 I was just raised to not lead with color and lead with race. You lead with who you are as a human being and how you treat others etc. And remember because I’m because I have a black dad and a white mother, um I don’t understand and I’m privileged because I’m not all black. And so, I mean, that’s a story for another day that you guys know about me and I think it is so hypocritical um for people who um a group of people who have begged for acceptance and tolerance and equality in every way and we are there.

 We have been there for a very long time, ladies and gentlemen. But for some reason, I mean, look at you’ve got people still complaining about where are our reparations? Like I I I don’t understand it either.  And they’re always the rich rich privileged black people. Charlamagne tha God was fighting with Bill Maher.

 I’m like, dude, people love you. You’re rich, you’re famous, you’re successful. It’s the same thing out of LeBron. Rich, famous, successful. Same thing out of the women’s mouths on The View and you’re just going, I don’t really get it. You guys who are rich, famous, and successful are lecturing the white people that work three jobs and can’t pay their bills and they’re drowning in debt about white privilege?  It it it it’s so deep and and obviously, I hope Van calls you back.

 I need to reach out to him because  he will. I’m waiting.  Please. Bring him in here. I love him.  understand it cuz I know he feels I know he feels this way and I I I’ve heard he’s amazing. I I I have  There There’s a topic in here that that I I really try to get my head around and some of my most cherished relationships are are with Americans of African descent and and I and they’ve educated me and they pulled me along and I I really I’m really would struggle like you to to understand.

 I really want to know. And there’s a point that that gets sort of glossed over and I’ve yet to dig into it and it it has to be explored more deeply and they will sort of put it down as you can’t really understand what it is to be black in America. It’s sort of black in America is sort of the the top, the headline.

 And and we need to unpack what that means to us.  to do though? No problem. You’re right. I got it. Now, how would you like us to live differently? Because like I don’t I don’t understand. What does that mean? I I You What did you want Sophie Cunningham to do? Not shoot the shot? So, what should So, what should Sophie have done differently in that moment? Just tell me what you needed Sophie Cunningham to do differently in that moment so her white privilege was not exploited? What does it mean? I really don’t know.

I I I don’t know.  that I don’t know that they have that straight answer either. And remember, everything changed finally in 2008. Barack Obama, black president. I mean, and look So, don’t talk to me about being black in America in 2026 versus hey, when my parents got married in 1971 right after interracial marriages finally become legal.

 Like I I can’t with it and I’ll debate anybody on this at any time. Um By the way, to wrap up this story, remember, all of this began and it was turned into the racing with Sophie and Sue Bird. All this began because Sophie Cunningham said the obvious thing, that women’s sports should only be for biological women, which does what? It puts the WNBA in a spot because the WNBA refuses in the collective bargaining agreement to define a woman.

 So, with all of this and then too, former NBA players, one is 6’8, one is 6’11 saying, “Okay, if it’s open to anybody who says they’re a woman, my career in the NBA ended, I want back in. I’m going to I identify as a woman. I am going to play in the WNBA.” So, Royce White and Enes Kanter, two men that I know, um have said, “No, I’m going to play and I’ve declared myself eligible for the WNBA draft.” And when that Brilliant.

 They are backing the WNBA into a  this Like and and unfortunately, this So, what did the WNBA do? Cathy Engelbert, big commissioner, she says, “We’re going to we’re going to create a task force of all of the management team presidents, GM, to determine what a woman is.” And so, they did. They all met and as you see here, their statement said today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We’ll continue to engage, blah

blah blah blah blah. No immediate eligibility matters affecting the the league. Guys, they still, with a task force, probably of all women and a few liberal men, cannot, excuse me, choose not to define a woman. Something’s going to come to head here when you got two men who are pretty good basketball players saying, “No, I’m a woman. I am eligible.

” And if they don’t let them in based on the lack of definitive description of what a woman is, there will be lawsuits. Like,  I can’t wait.  And I’m laughing at the fact that they needed a group to come together to define a woman and still couldn’t do it.