Pat McAfee has walked back his wording after a segment about Caitlin Clark drew backlash because he referred her as a “white bitch” in a monologue during his ESPN show that was complimenting her for how much attention she has drawn to the WNBA.
In a post on X on Monday, McAfee apologized for wording it in that manner.
“I shouldn’t have used “white bitch” as a descriptor of Caitlin Clark. 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,” McAfee wrote.
“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. #Journalism #WNBAProgrum #SheIsTheOne”
Clark has remained a hot button topic as she moved from contributing to record women’s college basketball ratings to the WNBA, and just about every sports talk show has weighed in over the cheap shot she received from Sky guard Chennedy Carter during a game on Saturday.
McAfee, who lives in Indianapolis and was at the Fever-Sky game in question, disputed the idea that the whole WNBA rookie class, which also includes Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Kamilla Cardoso, is responsible for the growth of the league — when so much of the spotlight has been squarely on Clark.
“I do have a message for the sports media or the ex-WNBA players, there seems to be this notion, and maybe we’re wrong on it, that this whole evolution of success and popularity in the WNBA is because of this entire rookie class. I think there’s a chance Chennedy Carter of Chicago, whenever she’s going to Caitlin, you see [Sky rookie] Angel Reese get all jacked up about it and celebrating, I think that’s because she thinks Angel Reese deserves more credit than what she’s getting,” McAfee said.
“Caitlin’s getting all this credit and you hear a lot of sports media, ‘This is an entire class, this rookie class is the reason why this is happening it’s the next generation,’ well that’s fun.”
Warning: Explicit language
McAfee then introduced a sarcastic quiz game called “Guess which rookie?” and pointed to the fact that Clark’s Fever games have drawn higher TV ratings than the games involving Reese and Brink, who play in big market cities Chicago and Los Angeles.
“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 bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar, and is it because she stayed in Iowa and put an entire state on her back and took a program from nothing to a multiple-year success story?” McAfee asked.
Clark, who is averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists, is coming off one of the worst games of her career after being held to just three points in a loss to Liberty at Barclays Center on Sunday,
