Why Indiana lieutenant governor is calling for Stephanie White's firing after Fever coach defended DiJonai Carrington

DiJonai Carrington's Flagrant 2 foul of Sophie Cunningham on Saturday sparked another WNBA firestorm, with Carrington striking Cunningham in the face with her arm.

The fracas ended with Carrington's ejection, as is mandated by the Flagrant 2 call, and she implied in a social media post after the game that her ejection was the result of "white privilege."

DiJonai Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game after this play. pic.twitter.com/WRapu4lqHX

After the game, comments by Fever coach Stephanie White drew heavy criticism from fans — and even an elected official — who believed she was too dismissive of Carrington's foul.

Here's a look at what White said and why Indiana's lieutenant governor is responding with strong words.

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What did Stephanie White say?

White defended Carrington after the game, telling reporters she doesn't think the Sky veteran "intentionally went for the neck" of Cunningham.

"She’s gonna play her butt off, she's gonna compete. Nobody's gonna go walking in for a layup. I don’t oppose the hard foul, but I also don’t think she intentionally went for the neck."

Many were surprised White wasn't more forceful in standing up for Cunningham, who was visibly frustrated with the blow she received from Carrington. Carrington was promptly assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.

White White did say she believed it was "the right call" by officials, her tone was dramatically different than Cunningham's.

"I'm not going to let anyone just do that to me. I think everyone knows that," Cunningham told reporters after the game. "I think that's why she did it because she wants attention. I mean, s—, like, people have started craving attention. Like go get it somewhere else."

White's response has one Indiana elected official calling for her to be fired. Here's what you need to know.

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Indiana lieutenant governor calls for Stephanie White's firing

Indiana lieutenant governor Micah Beckwith responded to White's comments with a call for her to lose her job.

"No solid coach would ever take the side of the opposing team’s player who committed a flagrant foul on one of your own players," Beckwith tweeted Sunday. "Terrible coaching!"

Beckwith, who took office in 2025, has previously said Clark is "treated horribly" by the WNBA and criticized White in July for what he called a "tone deaf" lack of support for Clark.

Clark wasn't on the receiving end of Carrington's foul on Sunday, but in Beckwith's eyes and the eyes of some fans, White's defense of Cunningham wasn't up to par, either.