Bizarre moment Pat McAfee calls Caitlin Clark a 'white b****' live on national TV... leaving fans furious

Pat McAfee bizarrely called Caitlin Clark a 'white b****' while live on national TV on Monday as he offered a strange defense of the Indiana Fever star. 

Clark, the WNBA's No. 1 overall pick, has dominated the headlines in recent days after being brutally fouled by Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky.

The Indiana Fever star was knocked to the ground by Carter towards the end of the third quarter of their win on Saturday and it has sparked a debate about the treatment of Clark since she turned pro.

Clark has constantly been the subject of rough treatment from opponents during her rookie season amid claims of jealousy from other players at her explosive impact on women's basketball.

McAfee, who was at the Fever-Sky game and saw the incident unfold, gave an passionate defense of Clark on Monday and said she alone had been the driving force behind the WNBA's surge in popularity. 

McAfee noted how other rookies - like Angel Reese and Cameron Brink - had also boosted the profile of the sport but said their impact is tiny compared to Clark's.

He also brought up a number of statistics comparing the three rookies to illustrate Clark is in a league of her own. 

But while doing so, he called her a 'white b****', which seemed completely unnecessary.

Speaking on his ESPN show, McAfee said: 'I would like the media people that continue to say "this rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class" - no, just call it for what it is. 

'There's one white b**** for the Indiana team who is a superstar and is it because she stayed at Iowa, put an entire state on her back, took a program from nothing to a multiple-year success story?

'Is it because she would go on to break the entire points records in the history of the NCAA, not just the women's record by Kelsey Plum, but also Pete Maravich's.

'Is there a chance that people just enjoy watching her play basketball because of how electrifying she is, what she did, what she stood for, how she went about what she went for, maybe.

'But instead we have to hear people say that we only like her because she's white and she's only popular because the rest of the rookie class is doing what they're doing.

'Well that's a bunch of bulls*** and we think the WNBA, and more specifically their referees, need to stop trying to screw her over at every single turn.

'What you have is somebody special and we're lucky she's here in Indiana.

'Once again, I respect the way Chennedy Carter goes about her business. I was on the floor - they were telling her to relax after that thing while they were reviewing it. 

'Turns out it was flagrant, even though those WNBA refs are looking for Caitlin to respond in this situation. The refs were probably looking at Caitlin and waiting for her to give them a nasty look so they could tee her up.

'It has been not just the players. It has not been just the players that have been like 'not in our league' it is also very clearly the refs and I think if you hear the media talking about it it's the same thing.'

McAfee's comments didn't go down well with fans on social media, though.

One wrote: 'Why a woman got to be a B**ch ???? As much as you “support her” you couldn’t think of anything else to say??? Yo whole point was not valid and then you proceeded to call her out her name… ewwww'.

Another commented: 'So it’s okay if people call your daughter a white b****? Here’s a quarter—go buy some class.'

'Calling any women a B**** is insane ….especially trying to give a compliment', another posted.

One user wrote: 'I’ve NEVER liked Pat McAfee…ever!! And today serves as a HUGE reminder why! For him to call Caitlin Clark what he did, and to say it with his WHOLE chest, on National TV is beyond unacceptable. ESPN better discipline him. And let’s not forget that NO ONE checked him. Disgusting'.

Earlier on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith offered his opinion alongside WNBA expert Monica McNutt, Shannon Sharpe and host Molly Qerim.

Smith is of the belief that there are WNBA players who are jealous of the attention that Clark has been getting - even before she entered the league - with the host saying that race may be a part of it.

'There are girls – young ladies – in the WNBA who are jealous of Caitlin Clark. She is a White girl that has come into the league,' Smith said.

'She has bursted onto the scene. She hasn't proven herself yet. It's not even about them thinking they're better than her because they probably know it at this particular juncture because they've been playing on a level she just arrived to.

'Where the resentment comes in is the hard work, the commitment, the dedication, the pounding of the pavement, the being on the grind all of these years trying to uplift this brand that is the WNBA and is women's professional basketball.  

'All of their efforts were in vain until this girl comes along and takes the league by storm, takes the sport by form in college and has accomplished in a short period of time what they haven't been able to.

'One would think that folks would be smart enough to recognize and appreciate that about Caitlin Clark – piggyback off of that to their benefit and praise her and support her for it while competing on the court against her.'

Smith also contextualized the hip-check that Carter delivered on Clark, saying the Indiana star delivered an elbow that may have caused Carter to retaliate.

'You do that to a person who is now the face of the WNBA, you know that there’s something a little extra to that,' he continued. 

'Now, in fairness to her, I’ve seen a report where it showed Caitlin Clark elbowing her first and it was retaliatory – I get that part. 

'Let’s also remember that before she shoved, she hip-checked her from the back, from behind, she called her the B-word.… We get all of that. That’s in the heat of competition. We’re not going to overblow that.

'What we’re going to do is give the level of appreciation that it deserves in terms of the venom and potential hostility that exists toward this "golden girl", who happens to be white and how the WNBA is promoting her.'