Christine Brennan was excoriated by the WNBA union over playoff coverage

USA today Columnist Christine Brennan is a trailblazer as a woman in sports journalism. But now she's on the wrong side of the WNBA players.

On Friday, WNBA Players Association executive director Terri Jackson released a statement on social media directly criticizing Brennan for “a blatant attempt to entice a professional athlete to participate in a narrative that is false and intended to do so.” “To foment racist, homophobic and misogynistic hostility,” takes social media to task.”

The allegations stem from a viral interview between Brennan and WNBA Most Improved Player Dijonai Carrington about a collision between Carrington and rookie phenom Caitlin Clark. In the exchange, Brennan repeatedly questioned whether Carrington hitting Clark in the face following a shooting contest was intentional and whether Carrington and her Connecticut Sun teammates thought it was funny.

“Instead of demonstrating the cornerstones of journalistic ethics such as integrity, objectivity and a fundamental commitment to the truth, you have chosen to be indecent and downright disingenuous,” Jackson wrote.

Brennan, who in addition to covering the WNBA season, also covers Clark USA todaywent viral this week for seemingly luring Carrington.

To her credit, Carrington explained that she didn't realize she had hit Clark in the face and maintained her composure while also explaining that she didn't know about something she didn't know she was doing could laugh.

I asked DiJonai Carrington about the moment at the start of Sunday's Indiana-Connecticut game when she looked Caitlin Clark in the eyes. Here is her answer: pic.twitter.com/DnQVYi0r6J

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) September 24, 2024

Since the goal, Carrington has been the subject of a sensational headline Los Angeles Times and being the target of racism by a fan at Mohegan Sun Arena during Game 2 between Connecticut and Indiana.

Carrington also shared a screenshot of an email she allegedly received from a fan who called her the N-word and expressed violent fantasies about her.

Across the league this week, WNBA players and coaches spoke out about the level of hate they have received online and in person surrounding the influx of new fans. Some have linked this hatred specifically to Clark and the Fever fans, while others have pointed out that the league as a whole needs to do more to protect players.

Still, the fact that the WNBPA is directly targeting Brennan and highlighting her journalistic integrity marks a new level of conversation.

The union also demanded USA today to review his ethics rules and accuse Brennan of violating them.

“USA Today Sports should explain why a reporter with clear bias and ulterior motives was assigned to cover the league,” Jackson wrote.

Brennan was one of the first women to cover sports in America in the early 1980s and the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media. A long-time, influential author, Brennan's upcoming book on Clark has been hailed as another signal of the WNBA's growth.

But if players see Brennan as part of the problem they're working to solve, she has a bigger problem to deal with than just writing a good book.

[WNBPA on Instagram]