​Stephanie White, Micah Beckwith – Image © Imagn ImagesIndiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith said the Fever should fire coach Stephanie White for defending DiJonai Carrington’s flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham in Saturday’s clash against the Chicago Sky. White believed that Carrington didn’t “intentionally” go for Cunningham’s neck.Beckwith was furious and demanded that the Fever “defend” their players better in such cases. In an X post on Saturday, he wrote:“Ok… The @IndianaFever need to let Stephanie White go. No solid coach would ever take the side of the opposing team’s player who committed a flagrant foul on one of your own players. Terrible coaching! The Fever need to defend their players.”On Monday, White addressed reporters for the first time since her initial reaction to the incident and the ensuing outrage. However, none of the media members asked her about her defense of Carrington or Beckwith’s comments. On X, Jason Whitlock called out the journalists for their silence in this situation.“This is Stephanie White’s reaction to a rigged softball question that allows her to pretend she was asked a real question,” Whitlock said. “She was never asked about defending DiJonai Carrington over Sophie. The Lt. Governor of Indiana called for her to be fired. No question asked about it.”The reporters asked White about the off-court distractions surrounding the Fever. White said the outside noise is an attempt to disrupt the team’s harmony and create more challenges for the franchise.“There are a lot of folks out there who want to divide us,” she said. “There are a lot of folks out there who want to create more challenges for us.”After Indiana Lt Governor Micah Beckwith, Dave Portnoy gives an unfiltered demand for Stephanie White’s firingBarstool Sports President Dave Portnoy has also called for Stephanie White’s firing. Like Micah Beckwith, Portnoy’s outrage also stemmed from White defending DiJonai Carrington.“Get her out of there. … I don’t want her back on that bench. Stop defending the other players,” he said on Monday. “‘Oh, she plays hard, DJ [DiJonai], that’s just a her being her.’ You see Caitlin in the press conference almost cover her ears and her eyes. Defend your players!”Portnoy bluntly said White was “wrong” and compared the situation to NBA coaches, who never defend the opposing player’s actions in such cases. Portnoy also believes White didn’t defend Caitlin Clark after she got “punched” in the throat by Alyssa Thomas on Jun. 24.In both cases, White shared a relationship with the opposing players. She coached Carrington and Thomas during her time with the Connecticut Sun. White was also the opposing coach with Carrington and Thomas on her team during the Sun’s 2024 playoffs first-round series against the Indiana Fever.Read more:“Screaming She Hates Sophie Cunningham And Caitlin Clark”: WNBA World Reacts As Stephanie White Addresses Outsid