Florida AG Threatens WNBA With Assault Charges

Florida’s top prosecutor says he would file assault charges against a WNBA player for a foul that got her ejected from a game more than a thousand miles away.

Quick Take

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the WNBA that violent fouls could bring criminal assault charges if they happened in his state.
His comments followed a Flagrant 2 foul by Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington on Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, which led to an ejection.
Uthmeier has repeatedly gone after major sports leagues, including the NFL and MLB, over policies he calls discriminatory or dangerous.
Republican lawmakers separately pressed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert over what they call a pattern of physical attacks on Fever star Caitlin Clark.

A Foul That Sparked a Firestorm

The trouble started during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. DiJonai Carrington received a Flagrant 2 foul for what looked like a clothesline hit on Sophie Cunningham. Referees ejected Carrington on the spot. The play quickly spread across social media, reigniting an ongoing debate about how the WNBA handles rough, sometimes violent, contact between players.

Uthmeier’s Blunt Warning

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier did not stay quiet. He said conduct like the Carrington foul would not fly in his state. “The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault,” Uthmeier said, tying the on-court incident directly to Florida’s criminal code. He made clear the state currently has no WNBA franchise, but his warning still applied broadly to the league.

Uthmeier’s comments turned a basketball foul into a legal talking point. Commentators noted his statement treated the play less like a sports infraction and more like a criminal act, a framing that goes beyond how leagues normally handle physical contact between athletes. Fouls, ejections, and suspensions are usually the tools leagues use, not police reports or assault charges.

Part of a Larger Pattern

This is not the first time Uthmeier has targeted a major sports organization. His office issued an investigative subpoena to Major League Baseball over uniform rules he says discriminate against Christian players. He also sent a subpoena to the National Football League as part of a probe into the league’s Rooney Rule, a hiring policy meant to boost diversity among coaching candidates. Uthmeier has built a reputation for confronting national sports leagues directly.

Uthmeier has also pushed sports and pageant organizations on women’s sports policy, demanding groups like U.S. Masters Swimming certify they will not let men compete against women. His office frames these actions as protecting Florida law and Florida athletes, even when the organizations involved operate mostly outside the state. Critics argue the moves stretch a state attorney general’s authority over matters far beyond Florida’s borders.

Lawmakers Add Pressure Over Clark

Uthmeier is not alone in targeting the WNBA. A group of 11 Republican lawmakers, led by Texas Representative August Pfluger, sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert demanding accountability for what they called repeated physical attacks on Fever star Caitlin Clark. The lawmakers warned the league could face federal civil rights scrutiny if it fails to address the pattern, raising the stakes well beyond a single team’s locker room.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier Chimes in on DiJonai Carrington Clothes lining Sophie Cunningham, Says She Should be Charged with Assault.

Let Illinois Attorney General a Democrat know Charges must be filed @ILAttyGeneral @chicagosky @WNBA @NBA @FoxNews @RepPfluger pic.twitter.com/tyMswGIiqx

— The Way Forward**Breaking News Daily (@Emperorhanger) August 9, 2026

The League Responds to Growing Scrutiny

The WNBA has not ignored the criticism entirely. During All-Star Weekend, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the league is cracking down on abuse directed at players, saying racism, misogyny, homophobia, harassment, and threats have no place in the sport. That statement focused on fan behavior toward players, a separate issue from the on-court contact drawing Uthmeier’s attention, but it shows the league facing pressure from multiple directions at once.

The clash highlights a tension playing out well beyond basketball. State officials and members of Congress are increasingly willing to insert themselves into how private sports leagues police their own games, hiring practices, and player conduct. Whether that counts as necessary oversight or political overreach depends on who is asked, but the pattern itself has become impossible to ignore.