Caitlin Clark is a standout player in the WNBA. Recently, her coach voiced concerns over the league’s referees, questioning why they haven’t penalized fouls against Clark, which he feels has opened the door for other players to endanger her without fear of consequence.
Stephanie White, the head coach of the Indiana Fever, spoke up after Clark was struck with a fist to the neck and a knee to the groin during a nail-biting 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
That night, Clark experienced two fouls, the second leading to her exit from the game due to a hip injury. Reportedly, the first incident happened early on, where Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas struck her with a knee while she was already down, long after passing the ball. To exacerbate things, when Clark rose, Thomas hit her in the neck and then kicked her leg while she was still on the ground.
None of these actions drew a foul call from the officials.
Shortly after, Clark was fouled again, and soon had to leave the game due to pain in her lower back.
This second foul occurred during the third quarter when Mercury player Valerian Ayayi fouled Clark while she was attempting a 3-point shot. Clark landed on Ayayi’s legs, and soon after getting up, it was clear she was in distress, resulting in her exit from the game for good.
Coach White expressed her anger over the officials overlooking the physical treatment Clark endured. She commented on the disturbing nature of the no-calls, stating, “I don’t know if it affected her health, but the fact that it wasn’t called is unacceptable. I communicated this to the referees at halftime… It’s disrespectful. We have a superstar in the WNBA taking hits that aren’t penalized, and that simply shouldn’t happen.”
White was particularly upset about the incident involving Thomas and Clark’s throat, deeming it dangerous. “It’s outrageous to hit someone in the throat. This type of behavior is alarming,” she said. “Repeated occurrences of this nature can be disheartening.”
Fans joined the outcry, expressing their frustration over the referees’ poor performance throughout the game.
