The Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a scathing statement accusing a reporter of trying to “bait” a player with a question about Caitlin Clark.

In Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington tried to swipe at the ball and poked Clark in the eye. The incident quickly set social media ablaze, with some accusing Carrington of doing it intentionally.

Caitlin Clark and DiJonai Carrington

Michael Conroy/AP

The next day, both players confirmed it wasn’t an intentional act. During Carrington’s media availability, however, USA Today reporter Christine Brennan asked her if she meant to hit Clark in the eye. Although Carrington denied it, Brennan followed up that question by asking if she and Sun teammate Marina Mabrey later laughed about the incident. The broadcast showed the two smiling about something later in the game.

“No,” Carrington said. “I just told you I didn’t even know I hit her, so I can’t laugh about something I didn’t know happened.”

Online, Brennan was widely criticized for the question:

“I had a lot of respect for Christine Brennan. She helped me with my thesis for my master’s degree. It’s been really, really hard to have that same respect for her lately. You aren’t dumb. You know exactly what you are doing. Be better, Christine”.

“Between this and the @LATimes headline (shorturl.at/RxJfE), which was a very misleading characterization, is why our discourse is so bad. Journalism is not supposed to be this way. At this moment, we have to be better stewards”.

“They need to start taking media credentials away for stupid questions like this”.

On Friday, WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson revealed the union was aware of Brennan’s questions and urged USA Today to take action