Sophie Cunningham smiling while in football padsSophie Cunningham (Photo via Twitter)
Sophie Cunningham was dead set on leaving her mark on Tuesday night’s game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun, pulling Jacy Sheldon to the ground during the final minute of regulation.

This did not seem random, as she was retaliating for the way Sheldon guarded Caitlin Clark. During the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, Sheldon poked the former No. 1 pick in the eye.

It would lead to Marina Mabrey shoving Clark to the ground.

Cunningham made it clear that she was not going to apologize for her actions.

On Tuesday night, Cunningham posted a photo of her holding out her arms on her Instagram Story.

Many have begun to dig into her past since her name was trending all over social media.

 

One thing that came up was the fact she played football. Not just randomly in the streets with friends.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham played high school football.

A video of Cunningham playing for her high school football team surfaced on social media on June 18 and quickly went viral.

A 2014 article from the Columbia Missourian tells the entire story.

“Sophie Cunningham, a senior who stars on the Rock Bridge women’s basketball and volleyball teams, served as the Bruins’ kicker and will do so for as long as the team stays alive in the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 6 playoffs,” the article wrote.

“Cunningham also is now the first Rock Bridge female to ever score for the varsity football team, nailing an extra point following a Hayden Johnson touchdown run at the end of the first half.”

Cunningham was a replacement for the team’s normal kicker, who had torn his ACL before the playoffs.

In that same article, she is quoted as saying, “I was so nervous. I mean, I’ve never played football before in all my life. Right when I got the ball (on the opening kickoff), I couldn’t hear anything. I just put the ball down and kicked it.”

Sophie Cunningham Receives Her Punishment


The Indiana Fever punched their ticket to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title game with an 88-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun, but many of their players are getting punished for their actions.

Cunningham, Sheldon, and Sun forward Lindsay Allen were ejected for fighting.

On Wednesday, the WNBA announced that Cunningham would be fined under the league’s rule for a flagrant 2 foul. However, no suspension will be imposed.

Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his illegal hit to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the ensuing brawl between the teams in a lengthy statement on social media.  

Al-Shaair’s statement comes as his three-game suspension as a result of the incident has ended and he is slated to return to the field for the Texans on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

On December 1, an Al-Shaair hit to the head of a sliding and defenseless Lawrence caused chaos in Jacksonville. The defensive back needed to be restrained by several coaches and Lawrence has not played since taking the barbaric contact.

‘While so many jumped at the first opportunity to hop on the false narrative – that l’m a dirty player or bad person – the messages from all who stood by me were the only things keeping me mentally afloat during a time of isolation,’ Al-Shaair said on social media.

‘I’ve learned so much from this entire experience. Seeing myself on video – letting my emotions get the best of me to the point where I completely lost it – was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me.’

‘I’ve had to earn everything in my life. I never want to allow anyone to get me to a point where I jeopardize everything that I’ve worked all my life to obtain. That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment.’

Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence
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Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence

The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence
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The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence

Al-Shaair said during his three-game ban, he met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives for the first time, taking issue with how he was characterized in the official announcement of his suspension.

The defender said he thought his character and integrity were ‘unjustifiably smeared’ in the release but the meeting with Goodell and others was ‘productive’ and gave him hope it would not happen again.

‘In that conversation – man-to-man – I owned and acknowledged that my actions following my ejection were careless and, in that moment, I didn’t think about the responsibility I have been blessed with to represent the shield,’ Al-Shaair continued.

‘I also stated that the letter, and specifically the language used in the letter, was equally as careless and conveyed that the context of the words used were not a reflection of my character, nor my career, as I have not been warned multiple times for my play on the field.’

Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence was not the only controversial incident he was involved in this season.

During the Texans’ game against the Bears in September, he punched Roschon Johnson, who wasn’t even in the game at the time of another sideline confrontation.

Al-Shaair ended his statement by saying his view is that everyone in the league office and on the field are on the same team to represent the NFL in the best nature possible, something he failed to do earlier this month.

‘Lastly, I’ll say that this world is full of negative people who can’t wait to tear you down, but if you move with love and compassion, the seeds of good you planted in others’ lives can grow into the very tree that shades you with comfort and compassion when you need it most,’ Al-Shaair concluded.

‘I am a man of God, I am a leader, a warrior and a lover. I am also a hell of a football player and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love.’