Women's Fastbreak On SI

Christine Brennan Addresses Caitlin Clark's Criticism of Viral Eye Poke Question

USA Today reporter Christine Brennan doesn't regret the controversial questions she asked DiJonai Carrington about eye poking Caitlin Clark in the WNBA playoffs.

Grant Young

Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images / Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Among the most notorious moments from the WNBA's 2024 season stemmed from Fever sensation Caitlin Clark getting poked in the eye by Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington during a September 22 playoff game.

One narrative among some fans in the play's aftermath is that Carrington may have poked Clark's eye on purpose.

This narrative prompted USA Today journalist Christine Brennan — who is currently writing a book about Clark — to ask Carrington on September 24, "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 was incredulous at this question, which ultimately prompted enough outrage that the WNBA's Players Association (WNBPA) released a strongly-worded statement chastising Brennan for her question over X.

Time reporter Sean Gregory asked Caitlin Clark about this entire controversy in a December 10 article, and Clark responded, "Never once did that cross my mind, that [the eye poke] was on purpose. I’ve been poked in the eye many times playing basketball. It happens... That whole line of questioning that [Carrington] got was not appropriate, and I did not like that.”

Christine Brennan made a December 14 appearance on CNN to promote her new book about the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. When asked about Clark's comment from the Time article, Brennan said, "Well she has every right to say that. I've interviewed Caitlin Clark, talked to her, asked some tough questions, she never shies away from hard questions... so my experience with Caitlin is that she is very accepting of hard questions.

"My questions to DiJonai Carrington were actually meant as a conduit for her to clear the air," Brennan continued, per X user @ericaf455. "As a journalist, you ask. This was out there, it was a huge issue about what happened, why it happened, and I asked a specific question and a follow-up to give [Carrington] that opportunity."

She continued, saying, "And if I asked a male athlete those two questions, who on earth wouldn't I ask a female athlete?... I respect DiJonai Carrington enough to ask those questions so that she can get the chance to answer it, clear the air, deal with the issue as she wants, [as] that's what we do as journalists."

"I would ask [those sorts of questions] again, any time, always," Brennan concluded.

It will be interesting to see what the prevailing response is from Brennan's comments.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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