USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White is speaking out after facing a media firestorm.
Over the weekend, White went out of her way to defend Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington after Carrington was ejected for committing a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham.
“Yeah, I mean, look, it was a hard foul. I don’t think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did. But it did happen and I thought it was the right call,”
“She’s going to compete, no one’s going to walk in for an easy layup, so I don’t oppose the hard foul.”
Look at @StephanieWhite completely go out of her way to defend DiJonai Carrington after she clotheslined Sophie during that layup.
Even the ABC commentators said it was clearly an intentional Flagrant 2. But Steph is defending the DiJonai because she taught her and AT to do this pic.twitter.com/nxH05NlpVg
— #Caitlin4MVP (@WNBA_Analyst) August 9, 2026
White’s comments led to the Lt. Governor of Indiana, Micah Beckwith, calling for the Fever coach to be fired.
Via Micah Beckwith/X
“Ok… The IndianaF ever need to let Stephanie White go. 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. Terrible coaching! The Fever need to defend their players.”
On Monday, White addressed how she and the team have faced criticism this season.
“Nothing that any one of us does is ever going to please everyone all the time.
“There are a lot of folks out there who want to divide us, that there are a lot of folks out there who want to create more challenges for us, And in our locker room, we do a really good job of keeping that outside the locker room and pulling for one another.”
“There are a lot of folks out there that want to create more challenges for us. In our locker room, we do a really good job of keeping that outside.”#Fever head coach Stephanie White on how the team has dealt with all of the outside noise this season: pic.twitter.com/geyYpDl0zR
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) August 10, 2026