The Cavinder twins said they are disgusted over a recent interview they claim was a “blatant sexist trope” to exploit their looks and undermine their athletic and business ventures.
Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who became top NIL earners while playing basketball at the University of Miami, fired back at a reporter, Ethan Strauss of The Free Press, over an interview they said was conducted and published under false pretense — and “degrades us down to ‘hot girl(s).’ ”
On Tuesday, the Bari Weiss-led outlet published a feature by Strauss with the headline: “The NCAA Has a ‘Hot Girl’ Problem.”
The 22-year-old sisters released a fiery statement on Wednesday disputing the intentions of the story, saying they were only asked “one question about our physical looks” during the interview process — which they said included Strauss following them around for a weekend before an hour-long sit-down conversation.
“The interview for this article was obtained by a false pretense that it would be written about life after NIL, why we didn’t take our fifth year, our passions, and business opportunities,” the siblings said in a joint statement on Twitter.
“We were specifically told via the publication the context would be to ‘see the Cavinders as a very important story not only in the context of women’s college sports but new media culture and business. They’re building a hugely successful brand, and they’re at the forefront of a new space, and we think that’s exciting and newsworthy.’
“We discussed with our team and met the media opportunity openly after reviewing the intentions. Haley and I welcomed this man into our home. He followed us throughout the entire weekend asking us questions and understanding what goes on in our daily lives. After the weekend we had a sit down interview in our kitchen for over an hour and was only asked one question about our ‘physical looks.’
“The subsequent article not only demeaned our athletic and business accomplishments it furthered the narrative that hard working, creative and driven women can only do well if they are deemed attractive. The piece disregards our work ethic and dedication towards NIL and business endeavors.
“He fails to acknowledge the young girls/women that follow us and that we work so hard to inspire. Instead he degrades us down to ‘hot girl(s)’. We agreed to do the interview and wanted to support a woman ran news outlet. We are both disappointed and disgusted by this journalism practice and blatant sexist trope. We only wish to inspire young woman to chase their dreams, work hard, think big. Now we must defend them against men that wish to sum their potential to physical appearance.”
Strauss did not immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment.
Haley and Hanna both opted not to exercise their fifth year of eligibility to focus on NIL deals and other opportunities, including the pursuit of their pro wrestling careers.
The siblings signed an NIL deal with WWE in December 2021 and recently made their television debut with the company as part of NXT.
As of early 2023, the now-full-time influencers have earned nearly $2 million.
Haley and Hanna’s NIL deals and other long-term brand partnerships include Pronamel, Champs Sports, Bucked Up and Victoria’s Secret.
They also joined Jake Paul’s sports-gambling outfit, Betr, which will house their “Twin Talk” podcast.
Haley and Hanna, who transferred from Fresno State to the University of Miami in April 2022, graduated in May, and now split their time between Miami and Arizona.
The former D1 guards helped the Hurricanes reach their first Elite Eight in program history before their March Madness run ended at the hands of the eventual champion LSU.
The Cavinder twins also made headlines in February when they were involved in the NCAA’s first NIL infractions ruling, though they were not sanctioned.