Christine Brennan calls WNBPA's call to ban Dijonai Carrington interview a 'complete overreaction'

USA Today national sports columnist Christine Brennan continued to defend her journalistic integrity this week after issuing a scathing statement Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) called for the veteran journalist's license to be revoked after an interview with Connecticut Sun Guard Dijonai Carrington.

Brennan addressed the incident on the Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast and defended her line of questioning of Carrington during the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, when she asked Carrington if she had planned to hit Caitlin Clark in the eye during Game 1 of the playoffs series between the Sun and the Indiana Fever.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after being hit in the eye during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Connecticut Sun on September 22, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

She also asked Carrington if she laughed about it later in the game, although the player said she wasn't aware of it hit Clark in the eye.

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“Do you know what you do as a journalist? You ask the question and give them the chance to take it and move on with it. And that’s exactly what I intended, that’s exactly what I did,” Brennan said.

She explained that she asked the questions because the interaction had become national news and that these were the narratives being talked about on social media. Brennan said she wanted to give Carrington the space to deal with the situation.

“Just give them a chance…give her a chance to answer the question because it was widely shared on the internet,” Brennan said. “It’s out there, so we ask the athlete so they can clear the air.”

DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun brings the ball down during the second quarter against the Chicago Sky at Mohegan Sun Arena on September 19, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Brennan defended her approach, calling it “Journalism 101,” adding that she's had to ask these tough questions many times, including to several notable male athletes.

“I will never shy away from asking an athlete questions, and I’m happy to do that,” Brennan said.

The WNBPA issues a scathing statement accusing the USA TODAY columnist of an interview intended to “incite racism.”

The WNBPA responded with a statement claiming the nature of the questioning fueled “racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol” online. It even called for Brennan's credentials to be essentially revoked.

Brennan said she was “surprised” by the statement, and while she didn't “take it lightly,” she said calling for a ban was an “overreaction.”

“I thought it was a complete overreaction. I think many, many people in journalism thought exactly the same thing we saw in the columns and replies. And that's okay, and that gives me courage. If people think it's OK and “I should be banned of course – it's a free country, they can say that.”

USA Today columnist Christine Brennan asks a question at a Team USA press conference in the main press center during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. (Shanna Lockwood/USA Today Sports)

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Brennan agreed that while the climate may be different in the WNBA, she has long been a champion of women's sports throughout her career.

“You have someone here who cares about this cause, the cause of women's sports, the abuse due to lack of media coverage, the racism, the sexism and the misogyny,” she said. “If you don’t like me, fine. But I think it's pretty important to look at the body of work here and go out and get upset about five or six columns about Caitlin Clark that people want to be upset about. “It's a free country.

“But my goodness, you're certainly missing some of the things I've worked on and poured my soul into the most.”

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