Sophie Cunningham may soon find herself in the league office’s crosshairs again. The Indiana Fever guard, currently sidelined following knee surgery, has continued to use her platform to take aim at WNBA officiating despite already receiving multiple fines this season for her comments.
On the latest episode of her Show Me Something podcast with co-host West Wilson, Cunningham admitted she hasn’t been able to stay quiet while watching games from the sidelines.
Even while recovering and under medication, she said she was furious with how referees handled physical play in the Fever‘s August 24 matchup against the Minnesota Lynx.
“I was high on meds, but it still triggered my hate for the refs,” Cunningham said. “They were playing Minnesota. … But I think that what was kind of getting out of hand is the refs are allowing it to be too physical. And then people can get away with certain stuff, and then that’s when emotions flare. And that’s when you kind of see fights or people doing things that they probably shouldn’t be doing.”
The McBride-Hull incident
Cunningham specifically referenced a play in which Lynx guard Kayla McBride elbowed Indiana’s Lexie Hull in the face. McBride received a technical foul but remained in the game. Cunningham insisted that had she been the one involved, officials would have reacted more harshly.
“If it were me, I would have been thrown out,” she argued, doubling down on her belief that referees apply different standards depending on the player.
Hull collapsed to the floor after the blow, but her rough week didn’t end there. In the Fever‘s next contest against the Seattle Storm, she collided with Gabbie Williams and was evaluated for a possible concussion. Cleared to return, Hull has since played through the aftermath, including a massive hematoma and two black eyes that have been visible in games against the Sparks, Valkyries, and Mercury.
This isn’t the first time Cunningham‘s frustration with referees has drawn attention. Since launching her podcast last month, she has repeatedly criticized officiating both on air and through her social media posts. The league has responded with multiple fines, though that has done little to temper her commentary.
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