NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA says it cannot substantiate claims that racist fan behavior took place during a game in Indianapolis between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever earlier this month.
The league said its investigation included gathering information from fans, team and arena staff, as well as an “audio and video review of the game.”
The league said, “we have not substantiated it.”
The WNBA, according to a person familiar with the investigation, was probing claims that racist comments were directed toward Chicago’s Angel Reese by fans during the loss to WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark and the Fever.
Reese, who is Black, and Clark, who is white, were meeting for the seventh time in their ongoing — and much-talked-about — rivalry. Clark later said she did not hear any racist remarks during that game, but acknowledged that it was loud in Indiana’s arena throughout the game.
“It’s super loud in here, and though I didn’t hear anything, I think that’s why they’re doing the investigation,” Clark said earlier this month. “That’s why they’re looking into it. That doesn’t mean nothing happened, so I’ll just trust the league’s investigation, and I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.”
Both teams had issued statements supporting the investigation, as did the WNBA Players Union.
“We appreciate the swift and thorough process undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which were not substantiated,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said Tuesday in a statement distributed by the Fever. “At Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we are committed to providing the best possible basketball experience for players and fans where hate speech has absolutely no place. Indiana is home to the world’s greatest fans, and we look forward to an exciting season of Fever basketball.”
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AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in New York also contributed to this report.
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