Sophie Cunningham. Sophie Cunningham (Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
Disgruntled WNBA fans are starting a campaign to have Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham removed from the league following last night’s heated affair against the Connecticut Sun.

Tensions escalated during the Fever-Sun game on Tuesday evening, particularly between Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark, Jacy Sheldon, Marina Mabrey and Lindsay Allen. When all the dust settled, Cunningham, Sheldon and Allen got ejected from the game, with multiple technical fouls also being issued.

Things boiled over in the third quarter, when Sheldon was called for a foul while defending against Clark. That led to a brief scuffle, with Mabrey coming in and delivering a cheap shot to Clark from behind:

Sophie Cunningham had had enough of the antics and decided to retaliate, taking this hard foul while defending against Sheldon:

 

Unhappy with Cunningham’s actions during the game, some fed-up fans have started an online petition for the WNBA to ban her from the league permanently:

As of 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, the petition had 115 signatures.

Now, the WNBA isn’t actually going to expel one of its most popular players. It would take numerous and far more severe incidents for any professional athlete to get a lifetime ban from a league, so the Sophie Cunningham haters can only continue to dream.

Sophie Cunningham & Fever Got The Last Laugh

Sophie Cunningham sticking her tongue outSophie Cunningham (Grace Smith/IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Cunningham had five points, seven rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes of action before she was ejected. The Fever went on to win 88-71, improving to 6-5 on the year while the struggling Sun fell to 2-9.

The Fever will look to pick up their third win in a row when they visit Golden State on Thursday night, while the Sun will look to rebound against Phoenix at home this evening.

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.’