Sophie Cunningham (Photo By Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
Sophie Cunningham isn’t one to keep her mouth shut or her hands to herself, apparently. The Indiana Fever guard found herself in the middle of a heated exchange during Tuesday night’s matchup against the Connecticut Sun.

The drama started when Sun rookie Jacy Sheldon caught Caitlin Clark in the eye, earning a flagrant foul. Things escalated moments later when Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground. But Cunningham waited until the final minute of regulation to send her own message, dragging Sheldon to the floor on a fast break and setting off a near-brawl. Both players were tossed from the game.

Connecticut head coach Rachid Meziane didn’t hold back in his postgame comments.

“When you are winning a game by 17 points and you doing this stupid foul, this is just disrespectful,” he told reporters. “I don’t know how Jacy and Lindsay [got] ejected from the game when they did nothing.”

Cunningham Responds, Fans React

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
Cunningham didn’t offer a traditional apology. Instead, she turned to TikTok.

On Thursday night, she posted a video of herself lip-syncing to Selena Gomez’s “Hands to Myself,” clearly aiming the message at Sheldon. She captioned the video, “It’s a joke… the sound was too fitting! happy game day.”

The post struck a nerve, but mostly in a way that worked in Cunningham’s favor. Her TikTok following soared to one million, and the video racked up praise from fans.

@sophiecham it’s a joke… the sound was too fitting! happy game day #fyp ♬ original sound – .

“This is gold,” one comment read.

“Legend,” said another.

One user called it “the best TikTok in the history of ever.”

Despite the on-court tension and postgame antics, the league stopped short of suspending Cunningham. She received a fine for her role in the altercation, but she remains eligible to play.

And she’ll need to stay ready. The next showdown between Cunningham and Sheldon is already circled on the calendar: July 15. Whatever happens next, but for sure Sophie Cunningham isn’t interested in playing nice.

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.’

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