‘I Didn’t Know I Hit Her’: Player Who Poked Caitlin Clark in the Eye Denies Intent

DiJonai Carrington, the forward for the Connecticut Sun who sent Caitlin Clark crashing to the floor after poking her in the eye on Sunday, is denying that the eye poke was intentional.

The incident occurred early in Game 1 of the Fever’s three-game series with the Sun when Carrington moved to defend a pass, and her follow-through hit Clark in the eye.

While Clark said that the poke didn’t affect her game. The incident left a mark.

“[Carrington] got me pretty good in the eye; I don’t think it affected me. I felt like I got good shots. They just didn’t go down—tough time for that to happen. I thought I got some really good looks. Three pretty wide-open 3s in the first half, you usually make.”

On Tuesday, USA Today’s Christine Brennan asked Carrington if she intended to hit Clark.

I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn’t even make sense to me. But, no, I didn’t. I didn’t know I hit her, actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball, and I guess I followed through, and I hit her. So, obviously, it’s never intentional. That’s not even, like, the type of player that I am.”

It’s incredible to suggest that Carrington’s eye poke was not intentional. She deliberately points her fingers downward and drives them into Clark’s eye socket. This would be the most damning video ever entered into evidence in a court of law if we were in a court of law.

It’s also incredible that Carrington is taken seriously on this, considering she was seen laughing it up with a teammate while they discussed what clearly seemed to be Carrington’s eye poke of Clark.

Game 2 between the Fever and Sun won’t have to deal with NFL competition. The two teams are scheduled to battle on Friday in a must-win game for Clark and the Fever.