Caitlin Clark has been in the spotlight for more than a year, from her historic Iowa Hawkeyes run to her being drafted No. 1 in the WNBA last month. But with that meteoric fame, she’s also attracted issues and controversies. And on Monday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee called the Indiana Fever rookie “a white bitch” on air on his show while trying to compliment her.

“I would like the media people that continue to say, ‘This rookie class, this rookie class, this rookie class.’ Nah, just call it for what it is — there’s one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar.” McAfee said.

McAfee praised Clark for all she accomplished in the NCAA and what she has been doing in her first few games in the WNBA, before appealing to see her as a terrific basketball player and not by her race.

“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? …. Maybe,” McAfee said. “But instead, have to hear people say that we all like her because she’s white. …. Well, that’s a bunch of bulls**t…What we have is someone special, and we’re lucky to have her here in Indiana.”

Despite his attempt at praise, McAfee’s use of profanity to describe Clark did not sit well with fans on social media.

“He should be fired for this 💩 This is a terrible take,” a fan wrote.

“Pat McAfee wants everyone to give Clark this unprecedented respect for what she’s doing for women’s basketball and he can’t even respect her enough to not call her a b**** on live tv,” a fan wrote.

Some even tore down how McAfee presented his arguments about Caitlin Clark as they thought it undermined the rest of the 2024 WNBA rookie class and revealed how unhinged he become.

“Calling a woman athlete a b**** while simultaneously tearing down the real and substantial efforts the entire rookie class has done is why Pat McAfee should not be commentating on any women’s sports.” a fan tweeted.

“Pat McAfee continues to be an absolute clown, and I HATE how associated with Indiana he’s become and how teams in Indy continue to hand him a mic at events. His show is trash,” one fan wrote.

Caitlin Clark suffers possible injury in Fever vs. Liberty game

Amid all the outside noise surrounding Caitlin Clark, the rookie had her first hiccup in her game at the New York Liberty on Sunday.

With over five minutes left in the Liberty’s 108-64 win over the Indiana Fever, Clark exited the court while holding her left ear. The ear was being evaluated for an injury after the game, Indiana coach Christie Sides said.

In the same game, Clark had her worst shooting game of the season, going 1 of 10, including 1 of 7 from the 3-point line, finishing with just three points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals.