Pat McAfee went to social media on Monday to apologize for referring to Caitlin Clark as a "white b----" on his "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier in the day.
McAfee wasn't insulting Clark when he made the comment, as he began his show by talking about her superstar status in the WNBA following a controversial weekend.
However, McAfee received backlash for referring to Clark in that fashion, and he posted on X to clarify his statement.
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I" shouldn’t have used 'white b----' as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark," McAfee wrote. ""No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.. I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.
"My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize… I have sent an apology to Caitlin as well.
"Everything else I said… still alllllll facts."
Clark and the WNBA was the hottest topic of conversation for sports talk shows Monday morning, but "The Pat McAfee Show" took it to a different level when the former NFL kicker and his crew created an entire slideshow about what they think of critics of Clark, who say she's only a superstar because she is a White female in the league.
"I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, just call it for what it is — there’s one White b---- for the Indiana team who is a superstar," said McAfee, who has had Clark on his show and has been seen at Fever games given his status in Indiana.
"Is it because she stayed in Iowa and put an entire state on her back? Took a program from nothing to a multiple-year success story? Is it because she would go on to break the entire points record in the history of the NCAA? Not just the women’s record by Kelsey Plum — shout out — but also ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich’s. The dude’s records as well. Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is? What she stood for, how she went about going what she went for? Maybe.
"But instead, we have to hear people say we only like her because she’s White. And she’s only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they’re doing. That’s a bunch of bulls---, and we think the WNBA, more specifically their refs, need to stop trying to screw her over at every single turn. What you have is somebody special, and we’re lucky she’s here in Indiana."
One of those who took exception to McAfee's "white b----" comment was a fellow ESPN colleague, Kendrick Perkins, who said his piece on "NBA Today."
"Pat McAfee, I think he owes everyone an apology, especially Caitlin Clark. You cannot call her out of her name like that. No one can come to his defense, and it’s unacceptable. At the end of the day, you have to respect the WNBA, respect the women that are playing, respect the women covering the game, and you have to do it in great fashion if you’re a man that’s jumping into that atmosphere."
Perkins prefaced his comment by pointing out others, including Charles Barkley and LeBron James, who used the words "hated" and "jealous," which he called "triggering words for women," when talking about how some WNBA players feel about Clark.
"You have to do a better job with that, they have to do a better job with that because it’s not hating, and it’s not jealous. It’s competition," Perkins said.
Debate has run rampant since Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark in Saturday's match with the Fever, leading the WNBA to upgrade the foul to a flagrant-1 violation after review. Some have jumped in saying the WNBA needs to step in, while others think Clark shouldn't be "babied" as a rookie.
This comes just 11 games into Clark's rookie year in Indiana after being selected first overall last month, but media coverage will continue to follow closely throughout the 2024 campaign.
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