The post-game discussion has centered around DiJonai Carrington, as she was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 on Sophie Cunningham as the Chicago Sky lost 86-90 to the Indiana Fever on Saturday. The matter has attracted a lot of controversy lately, as Carrington was quick to give a sharp two-word reaction to the issue immediately after her ejection. Now WNBA analysts Alicia Jay and Erica L. Ayala have weighed in with their take on this issue, implying that Cunningham’s reaction also deserved an ejection, citing a past example.

“And I also wanted to point out, too, in the clip that we saw that just occurred that everybody is talking about right now, Sophie Cunningham also reacted. And she slapped the neck of DiJonai Carrington, and nothing was done when it came to her,” said Alicia Jay on the We Need To Talk podcast on August 10.

“So looking at this conversation, looking at the ejection of DiJonai Carrington, looking at this whole situation, what are your thoughts on just the officiating overall? We’ve had so many conversations around it, but this is another example of what we’ve been talking about, Erica.”

Alicia Jay is referring to the fact that both players got in each other’s faces right after the foul, with Cunningham reacting quickly and slapping Carrington’s neck. But the ejection was for Carrington only, while both should have faced similar consequences according to her.

This is something that has not gone down well with both the analysts.

“It’s the last piece for me. It’s the fact that when Sophie Cunningham fouled Jacy Sheldon, Jacy reacted, and both of them were taken out of the game, as I recall,” said Erica L. Ayala, relating it to the current situation.

“But then they went on to say that Sophie Cunningham’s reaction was acceptable. So I’m just trying to understand how is it that Sophie reacting to DiJonai was acceptable, but Jacy reacting to Sophie’s hard foul last year apparently was not. That’s just a little wild to me. I don’t think that makes a lot of sense.”

Ayalais referring to an incident last year, when Jacy Sheldon and Sophie Cunningham were both ejected after Cunningham fouled Sheldon in a Fever-Connecticut Sun game. Cunningham was given a Flagrant 2 foul, and both players were ejected, as Sheldon’s reaction in the aftermath was seen as warranting an ejection.

The Sheldon incident mirrors this one—same foul, same post-foul reaction, but different ejection outcomes. For Jay and Ayala, this is precisely how the distinction has fueled the controversy afterward.

Carrington felt wronged by the call, posting “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on her social media account while tagging Indiana Fever just after her ejection.

Cunningham, on the other hand, mentioned that the foul was unwarranted.

“Clearly, I think it was unnecessary. I’ve never really spoken to her, and I have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff,” she said after the game.

Meanwhile, Carrington has also posted the date of the next meeting between the two sides. Fans will eagerly wait for that contest, judging by how this last one went.