'That's the Wrong Message' -- ESPN Legend Sends Stephanie White 'Serious Wake-Up Call' Over Sophie Cunningham-DiJonai Carrington Incident Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington has drawn sharp criticism from across the WNBA since her hard foul on Sophie Cunningham during Saturday’s Indiana Fever-Sky matchup. But besides Carrington, another name has drawn just as much criticism, and that is former WNBA Coach of the Year and Fever head coach Stephanie White. Her postgame comments, in which she appeared to downplay the dangerous collision that sent Cunningham crashing to the floor, triggered a wave of backlash and even calls for her immediate dismissal. Former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn also had some tough words for the Fever coach. Linda Cohn Rips Stephanie White Over DiJonai Carrington-Sophie Cunningham Controversy Carrington’s foul on Cunningham earned her a Flagrant 2 and an early trip to the locker room. The incident was serious enough that many expected White to strongly defend Cunningham afterward. Instead, the Fever coach said she did not believe Carrington intentionally targeted Cunningham’s neck. Since then, White, who coached Carrington during her time with the Connecticut Sun, found herself at the center of backlash, with critics ranging from Jason Whitlock to Riley Gaines questioning her response. Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith even publicly called for White to be fired over her handling of the situation. MORE:‘Preposterous’ — Skip Bayless Rips DiJonai Carrington, Stephanie White’s ‘Insulting Excuses’ for Mishandling Sophie Cunningham Incident But White appeared unfazed by the controversy. During her pregame media session before Tuesday’s game against the New York Liberty, she pushed back against those criticizing both her and the team. “The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win. We are united. We are connected. We will not be divided,” White said. “Every day, these women put their [expletive] on the line. Every day. 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.” Those comments became the focus of the latest episode of “The Linda Cohn Show,” where the former ESPN anchor revisited the Cunningham-Carrington incident. Cohn argued that a simple statement affirming support for Cunningham would have been enough. Instead, she believed White shifted the conversation, “Blaming the media, blaming the online narrative for creating this character assassination of her, that she doesn’t support her players.” The veteran broadcaster added that a coach’s first responsibility is to stand behind their players. “When you’re a head coach of any team at any level, you always support your players, even if you didn’t see the play in real time or on replay or whatever it is,” Cohn asserted. She concluded that White’s response sent the “wrong message.” “That’s the wrong message,” Cohn said. “I hope Stephanie White … for her, this was a serious wake-up call. And I hope she’s heard it loud and clear.”
Cunningham, meanwhile, has tried to put the controversy to rest and emphasized that there are no hard feelings between her and her coach. Fever fans booed White during pregame introductions on Tuesday. But after Indiana’s 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty, Cunningham defended her coach. “Our locker room in there, it’s tight, and we have each other’s backs,” Cunningham said. “Coach loves us.” On the basketball side, which almost always seems to get lost amid the controversies, the Fever have now won back-to-back games after snapping a two-game losing streak. Cunningham also appeared to regain some momentum, scoring 12 points against the Liberty after failing to score more than 3 points in each of her previous three games. This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.