USA Today columnist Christine Brennan is well-respected in the journalism business. She has been a champion of women’s sports and a pioneer among women in sports journalism. But more than that, she has a solid reputation for being a fair reporter and columnist.
A controversy, however, has cropped up with the WNBA Players Association putting out a scathing — and, I’ll add, unfair — statement about Brennan.
It all started last week when WNBA star Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye by Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington during a playoff game. Clark ended up with a black eye. I thought it was an accidental poke as Carrington was going for the ball. But the incident gathered some steam on social media, and Brennan asked Carrington about it. The question was not out of line.
Brennan even posted the exchange on X.
Brennan asked Carrington, “When you went and kind of swatted at Caitlin, did you intend to hit her in the eye? And if so, could you just, or if not, either way, could you talk about what happened on that play?”
Carrington said, “I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn’t even make sense to me. But no I didn’t. I didn’t even know I hit her. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and hit her. Obviously, it’s never intentional, that’s not even the type of player I am.”
Brennan followed up by asking if Carrington and one of her teammates later laughed about Clark getting hit. Carrington said no and, “I just told you that I didn’t even know I hit her.”
A fair question asked, and a reasonable response given. That could have and should have been it. But the controversy was just heating up.
Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young wrote, “Brennan was criticized because she was accused of pushing the narrative that had been spreading online about Carrington intentionally poking Clark’s eye, which was seen as disrespectful to many members of the WNBA community.”
Carrington then came under attack on social media by those who believed she hit Clark on purpose. She was disgustingly accosted with racial slurs and threats.
The WNBA Players’ Association then put out its statement, criticizing Brennan by writing, “To unprofessional members of the media like Christine Brennan: You are not fooling anyone. That so-called interview in the name of journalism was a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating into a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media. You cannot hide behind your tenure. Instead of demonstrating the cornerstones of journalism ethics like integrity, objectivity, and a fundamental commitment to truth, you have chosen to be indecent and downright insincere.”
The statement went on to say, “You have abused your privileges and do not deserve the credentials issued to you. And you certainly are not entitled to any interviews with the members of this union or any other athlete in sport … We call on USA Today Network to review its Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms and address what we believe is a violation of several core principles, including seeking and reporting the truth.”
It also said, “USA Today Sports should explain why a reporter with clear bias and ulterior motives was assigned to cover the league. We also urge the league to review its policies and take measures to prevent such issues, protecting the integrity of the game and its players.”
The bias accusation might be because Brennan is writing a book about Clark.
USA Today and executive sports editor Roxanna Scott responded by backing Brennan with this statement: “Journalists ask questions and seek truth. We reject the notion that the interview perpetuated any narrative other than to get the player’s perspective directly. Christine Brennan is well regarded as an advocate for women and athletes, but first and foremost, she’s a journalist.”
Look, there’s no question that Clark is a lightning rod in the WNBA. Anything that happens in her orbit — good or bad, on or off the court — is debated and, yes, much of it has racial undertones. Clark, who is white, has simply gone out and played the game, as have her teammates and opponents, both Black and white. Yet others, many coming from a bad place, bring race (and racist thoughts) into the conversation. I’m talking mostly about the vitriol seen on social media. So you can understand why the WNBA players are especially sensitive when it comes to all this.
But its statement regarding Brennan was out of line. I don’t always agree with Brennan’s take on things. She’s a columnist. I’m not sure anyone should agree with her 100% of the time. But Brennan was doing her job, a job she has done well and fairly for decades. In this case, she went directly to Carrington, as is the journalistically responsible thing to do.
I also don’t think there’s anything to this whole Carrington-eye poke thing. But that doesn’t mean Brennan was irresponsible for asking about it.
The WNBA Players Association is trying to protect its players. I get that. But in this case, they chose the wrong target and the wrong message.
This piece originally appeared in The Poynter Report, our daily newsletter for everyone who cares about the media. Subscribe to The Poynter Report here.
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