In an apology, American sportscaster Pat McAfee said he didn’t mean to offend WNBA star Caitlin Clark on his Monday ESPN broadcast.
Clark, 22, was referred to as a “white bitch” by McAfee when he outlined his argument for why she should be given more credit than other rookies for the league’s rising popularity.
After breaking significant collegiate basketball records and increasing the popularity of the sport while at the University of Iowa, Clark was selected as the first overall choice by the WNBA last month and signed with Indiana Fever.
McAfee stated that he shouldn’t have used the derogatory phrase “no matter the context” in a post on news, external, adding, “I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.”
The 37-year-old former NFL player claimed that he was trying to be “complimentary” to Clark when he used the term.
Chennedy Carter shoved Clark in the shoulder during Saturday’s 71-70 victory over Chicago Sky. The event drew a lot of attention, with discussions focusing on whether or not it was intentional.
Christie Sides, the head coach of the Fever, wrote on the news: “This is WNBA unacceptable. When will the persistent grievances be acknowledged? There must be action taken.”
Although the officials did not examine the away-from-the-ball foul call at the time, it was later upgraded by the league to a more serious flagrant 1 penalty.
During a section that examined the influence of other WNBA rookies, such as Clark, Cameron Lee Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel Reese of the News,.
