Bizarre moment Pat McAfee calls Caitlin Clark a ‘white b****’ live on national TV in an attempt to DEFEND Indiana superstar… leaving fans furious

Pat McAfee bizarrely called Caitlin Clark a “white b****” while live on national television Monday, offering a strange defense of the Indiana Fever star.

Clark, the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick, has dominated headlines in recent days after being brutally targeted by Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky.

The Indiana Fever star was knocked to the ground by Carter near the end of the third quarter of their win on Saturday and it has sparked a debate over Clark’s treatment since she turned pro.

Clark has been the subject of constant rough treatment from opponents during her rookie season, amid claims of jealousy from other players over her explosive impact on women’s basketball.

McAfee, who was at the Fever-Sky game and saw the incident, passionately defended Clark on Monday, saying she alone was the driving force behind the WNBA’s soaring popularity.

McAfee noted how other newcomers – such as Angel Reese and Cameron Brink – had also raised the profile of the sport, but said their impact is small compared to Clark’s.

He also brought up some statistics comparing the three rookies to illustrate that Clark is in a league of his own.

But as he did so, he called her a ‘white b****’, which seemed completely unnecessary.

McAfee said on his ESPN show, “I would like the media people to keep saying ‘this rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class’ – no, just call it what it is.

“There’s one white girl for the Indiana team who is a superstar and is that because she stayed in Iowa, put an entire state on her back, took a program from nothing to a multi-year success story?

“Is it because she would break every points record in NCAA history, not just Kelsey Plum’s women’s record, but Pete Maravich’s as well.

“Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how exciting she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she went about what she went for, maybe.

“But instead we have to hear people say that we only like her because she’s white and that she’s only popular because the rest of the rookie class does what they do.

“Well, that’s a bunch of bulls*** and we think the WNBA, and more specifically their referees, need to stop trying to cheat her every time.

“What you have is someone special and we are lucky to have her here in Indiana.

“Once again, I respect the way Chennedy Carter handles her business. I was on the floor – they told her to relax after that thing while they were assessing it.

“It turned out to be egregious, even though WNBA officials are looking for Caitlin to respond in this situation. The referees were probably looking at Caitlin and waiting for her to give them a nasty look so they could hit her on the tee.

‘It wasn’t just the players. It’s not just the players saying ‘not in our league’. It’s also very clearly the referees and I think when you hear the media talking about it, it’s the same thing.’

However, McAfee’s comments did not go down well with fans on social media.

One wrote: ‘Why a woman had to be a B**ch???? As much as you support her, you couldn’t think of anything else to say??? Your whole point was invalid and then you proceeded to shout her name… ewwww’.

Another commented: ‘So it’s okay for people to call your daughter a white b****? Here’s a quarter. Go buy some lessons.”

“Calling any woman a B**** is insane… especially when you’re trying to give a compliment,” wrote another.

Previously on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith gave his opinion, along with WNBA expert Monica McNutt, Shannon Sharpe and host Molly Qerim.

Smith believes there are WNBA players who are jealous of the attention Clark is receiving – even before she joined the league – with the host saying race may be part of it.

“There are girls – young ladies – in the WNBA who are jealous of Caitlin Clark. She’s a white girl who came into the league,” Smith said.

‘She has appeared on the scene. She hasn’t proven herself yet. It’s not even about them thinking they’re better than her, because at this particular moment they probably know that because they’re playing at a level she just arrived at.

“Where the resentment comes in is the hard work, the dedication, the dedication, the pounding the pavement, being in the hot seat all these years to take this brand, which is the WNBA and which is women’s professional basketball, to a to take it to a higher level.

“All their efforts were in vain until this girl came along and took the league by storm, took over the sport in college form and achieved in a short time what they were unable to achieve.

“You’d think people would be smart enough to recognize and appreciate that about Caitlin Clark — piggyback on that to their advantage and praise and support her for that as they compete against her on the court.”

Smith also contextualized the hip check Carter delivered to Clark, saying the Indiana star delivered an elbow that may have led to Carter retaliating.

“When you do that to someone who is now the face of the WNBA, you know there’s something extra about that,” he continued.

“Honestly, I saw a report where Caitlin Clark elbowed her first and it was retaliation. I understand that.

“Let’s also not forget that before she pushed, she hip-checked her from behind, she called her the B-word… We all get that. That’s in the thick of the competition. We’re not going to exaggerate that.

“What we’re going to do is give it the credit it deserves in terms of the vitriol and the potential animosity that exists toward this ‘golden girl,’ who happens to be white, and the way the WNBA is promoting her.”