Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason expressed strong criticism of WNBA player DiJonai Carrington following a flagrant 2 foul Carrington committed against Sophie Cunningham during the first quarter of the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game on August 8, 2026, at the United Center in Chicago.
Carrington subsequently posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on Instagram Threads, seemingly suggesting that her ejection was racially motivated due to her being a Black woman and Cunningham being white. Esiason described this social media post as taking the situation "to a level we've frankly never seen before."
Esiason called Carrington's foul a "targeted attack," linking it to Carrington's stance on transgender athletes in sports. He said, "I think because of the timeline of everything, because of, if you want to call it, the jealous nature, the legitimate hatred for somebody because of what they believe in and because of what they look like and because of how popular they are, I could say it's a targeted attack."
Esiason also questioned the reaction to Carrington's post, asking, "She immediately gets on her phone and puts out a post on Threads talking about white privilege. How is everybody supposed to react to that? What are the opinions we are all supposed to have when you do something that stupid?"
Additionally, Giannotti agreed with Esiason's assessment that Carrington's foul was a targeted attack. Carrington has denied accusations of hatred toward transgender individuals, stating, "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that.'"
This controversy highlights ongoing tensions in sports regarding race and transgender issues.
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