ESPN host Pat McAfee apologized Monday for referring to Caitlin Clark as a “white bitch” during a segment in his show earlier in the day in which he commended the WNBA rookie for bringing attention to the league.
“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 in a post on X.
“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.”
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In the segment, the former NFL punter dismissed the notion that Clark’s race has contributed to her popularity, and said she—more than anyone else—is what is driving interest in women’s professional basketball.
“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.’
“What we’re trying to say is, what the WNBA currently has is what we like to describe as a cash cow. There is a superstar,” McAfee said. “But I would like the media people that continue to say, 'This rookie class, this rookie class’—nah. Just call it for what it is: there is one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar.”
Clark, who was drafted first overall this year by the Indiana Fever after breaking the NCAA men’s and women’s scoring record at the University of Iowa, is averaging 15.6 points per game along with 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
