Chicago Sky Star Chennedy Carter Allegedly Harassed By Man Over Caitlin Clark Controversy Outside Of Team’s Hotel + Carter’s Teammates Allege They Were Called ‘Ghetto B*tches’
Chicago Sky Star Chennedy Carter Allegedly Harassed By Man Over Caitlin Clark Controversy Outside Of Team’s Hotel + Carter’s Teammates Allege They Were Called ‘Ghetto B*tches’
In a disturbing turn of events, Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s recent on-court controversy seems to have spilled over into off-court harassment.
After reports surfaced alleging that on Wednesday, June 5th, a cameraman targeted Chennedy Carter outside the team’s hotel, a video emerged on social media of the altercation.
The man in question attempted to approach Chennedy Carter, who gained attention earlier in the week for her hard foul on Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.
The man asked,
“Ms. Carter, have you gotten a chance to reach out to Caitlin?”
Shortly after, a member of the team’s security intervened, positioning themselves between Chennedy Carter and the individual, attempting to obstruct the camera.
The man repeated his question a few times before the video ended:
“The basketball world wants to know if you got the chance to reach out to her.”
For those that missed the video. pic.twitter.com/RhJHvMqsze
— piercheney (@LVpolitic) June 6, 2024
However, according to some Chicago Sky players, the video was edited and does not fully depict the man’s alleged harassment.
Chicago Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere asserted,
“Interesting how the video posted was edited and doesn’t include when he harassed our staff while calling us “ghetto b******” and saying “women’s sports isn’t s***. We are not about to normalize things like that.”
Michaela Onyenwere also praised the team’s security personnel for their quick response in de-escalating the situation, stating,
“We have security, and they did a great job of de-escalating the situation/protecting us. It’s still extremely weird & crosses the boundaries meeting us right when we get off the bus.”
Teammates Angel Reese and Isabelle Harrison shed light on the concerning incident, recounting how a camera was aggressively aimed at one of their teammates, apparently Chennedy Carter, as they exited their bus.
Forward Angel Reese commented,
“finding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK. this really is outta control and needs to STOP.”
Forward Isabelle Harrison wrote,
“WOW!!! Thank GOD for security. My teammate being harassed at our hotel is insane! Couldn’t even step off the bus!!!”
Forward Brianna Turner also addressed the harassment the team has faced, revealing that she has recently been subjected to racial slurs:
“I wasn’t present for the interaction from earlier, but what occurred isn’t acceptable. Didn’t realize that when we said “grow the game” that would be interpreted as harassing players at hotels. You are free to have your own opinion but consider if this happened to someone u know.”
Shea added,
“Yes we (thankfully) travel with security, but the absurd headlines recently has certainly created an unstable environment for our safety. I’ve been called every racial slur imaginable lately and my teammates have had it even worse.”
She continued,
“No. I will not accept racism as “part of the game”. No l’m not sensitive. And no I won’t simply ignore the ignorant takes l’ve seen. The majority of you commenting could care less about the success of the WNBA and are only concerned with division.”
According to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times, police weren’t called following the incident, and the man was promptly escorted away by the team’s security personnel.
Chicago Sky’s General Manager Jeff Pagliocca commented on the effective response of the team’s security personnel, highlighting their role in ensuring the players’ safety, stating,
“I’m very confident in our security always making our players feel safe. Today was a great example of how critical they are to our team.”
This incident adds to the fallout from Carter’s recent hard foul on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, a topic that has ignited significant debate in both the media and the WNBA community. Carter’s reluctance to directly address the foul has fueled ongoing debate.
What do you think about the incident? Share your thoughts in the comments!