Sophie Cuningham in black swimsuitSophie Cunningham (Photo via X)
One of Sophie Cunningham’s social media posts is going viral again after resurfacing amid her recent spell in the news.

Cunningham, who joined the Indiana Fever during the offseason, is becoming one of the more popular players in the WNBA now that she’s teamed up with Caitlin Clark. Their quickly-blossoming friendship has made her even more of a fan favorite. At the same time, her skirmish with the Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon earlier this week solidified her status as an enforcer on the team.

The former Phoenix Mercury guard appeared to retaliate after Clark was treated to some undue physicality, pulling Sheldon to the floor on a fast break and throwing hands before they both got tossed.

Sun head coach Rachid Meziane took exception to the challenge, branding it “disrespectful,” given that the Fever were blowing them out at the time.

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

Sophie Cunningham Goes Viral As A “Bodyguard”

Sophie Cunningham taking team picturesSophie Cunningham (Grace Smith/IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

 

Cunningham will definitely not be hearing any cheer the next time she’s in Connecticut, but it appears she’s loved everywhere else.

A photo taken from her Instagram page and reposted to X with the caption “Our bodyguard,” garnered over 10.2 million views, 135,000 likes, and thousands of comments in less than 24 hours.

“Just chrome casted this to my tv and have been barking at it for 15 mins,” someone confessed.

“Already more popular than Caitlin to all the non-WNBA fans,” someone else pointed out.

Sophie Cunningham is already an Indiana legend, though she has only been there a few months.

If she can improve her scoring average (currently 6.4 PPG), it will be hard for her to do much wrong in the eyes of most WNBA fans.

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.’