Following LSU’s win over Iowa in the NCAA women’s tournament championship game, the internet has been buzzing about Angel Reese, who is facing backlash for her John Cena “you can’t see me” taunt at Hawkeyes phenom Caitlin Clark.
The New York Post reports Dave Portnoy, the controversial founder of Barstool Sports accused of sexual misconduct, called Reese “a classless piece of s – t,” on Twitter, and included a video of her on-court gesture.
Jemele Hill — a contributor for The Atlantic – had no problem picking a fight with Portnoy over the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark drama.
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“I like trash talking. If you hit a big shot in the moment or you’re talking s – t in the moment, back and forth … I don’t care. That is not what Angel Reese did.” Portnoy’s argument was that Reese “followed” Clark after the game was over to taunt her. “Find me one example in any sport, of anybody, after somebody wins a championship, confetti coming down, not in a close game — and find me a player stalking the best player on the other team,” Portnoy said. “It is not sexist. It does not happen. If a man did that, he would be called ‘classless’ and nobody would be saying anything.” In a separate tweet, Portnoy denied that the issue, at its core, is about race. O’Neal has been vocal in his defence of Reese, telling former ESPN anchor Keith Olberman to “leave Angel Reese alone”, after Olberman called Reese a “f***ing idiot” for her behaviour. “Shut your dumb a– up, leave Angel Reese alone,” Shaq wrote in a tweet. Olberman later apologised, calling his remarks “uninformed”. On Monday, Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take” that he believes there is a racial component to the situation. Reese’s “you can’t see me” celebration was the same gesture Clark made in Iowa’s Elite Eight win over Louisville. Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey said during an appearance on the “Today” show Monday that Reese is not going to apologise — and that trash-talk is part of who she is as a player. “[Reese] was upset because they [the public] attack her and they didn’t attack Caitlin and things like that,” Mulkey said. “Listen, that child is a beast on the boards rebounding. That child just won a national championship. She’s not afraid of social media. That is who Angel is.” After the win, Reese said she received more criticism than other players because she didn’t fit a “narrative”. “All year, I was critiqued about who I was. The narrative — I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit the box you all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. You told me that all year,” Reese said. “But when other people do it — you all don’t say nothing. So, this is for the girls that look like me. That’s going to speak up for what they believe in. “It’s unapologetically you, and that’s what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me. Twitter is going to go in a rage every time. “And, I mean, I’m happy. I feel like I helped grow women’s basketball this year. I’m super happy and excited. I’m looking forward to celebrating and then next season.” This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
