Caitlin Clark confesses true feelings on the infamous DiJonai Carrington 'eye-poke' drama

Caitlin Clark had her run-ins with Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington during her rookie season. Perhaps the most notable of which was when the Sun guard poked Clark in the eye during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Christine Brennan, a reporter from USA Today, asked Carrington postgame if she poked Clark in the eye on purpose.

In her conversation with Time released on Tuesday, Caitlin Clark discussed the whole drama surrounding the Carrington eye poke, from the possible intent to the aftermath.

"Never once did that cross my mind, that it was on purpose," she said. "I've been poked in the eye many times playing basketball. It happens. If that would have happened in the NBA, do you think people would have showed up the next day and been like, 'Hey, Tyrese Haliburton, did you poke Steph Curry in the eye on purpose?'

"That whole line of questioning that [Carrington] got was not appropriate, and I did not like that."

After her alleged out-of-line questioning, the Women's National Basketball Players Association [WNBPA] demanded that Brennan's credentials be canceled. The WNBPA alleged that the USA Today’s reporter's line of questioning towards Carrington was designed to fuel "racist, homophobic, and misogynistic vitriol on social media."

Caitlin Clark opens up about protecting fellow WNBA players from social media hatred

While Caitlin Clark has been showered with love by her faithful fans, in Indiana and outside the city, it hasn't been without disappointing incidents. There have been times when other WNBA players like DiJonai Carrington have been targeted by fans on and off social media.

However, Clark says she barely had any idea of such incidents because she doesn't use social media during WNBA season. The Fever star added that knowing that she is arguably the most famous player in the league, people want to know her opinion and she wants to be more responsible about it.

"I hope we can do a better job as a league of protecting our players and putting better resources around them to make it a safer environment," Clark said to Time. And obviously, there's only so much you can police on social media because we don't have full control over social media. But there is real responsibility. I understand that, and I acknowledge that."

When Caitlin Clark was asked about fans who harrassed other WNBA players in her name, she emphatically urged them to stop.

"Just stop," said Clark. "Because that’s not who I am."

Caitlin Clark is the second woman athlete in the last five years to be named "Time Athlete of the Year." Before her, Olympic legend Simone Biles won the award in 2021.