Tensions Mount in WNBA

There’s some unsettling news coming from the WNBA. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert apparently canceled an interview with Dan Patrick after being advised by her public relations team to do so, according to Patrick himself.

This interview had been brewing for the last week, as Patrick promoted it on “The Dan Patrick Show,” highlighting it as a significant event. At the time, Engelbert was in the Lake Tahoe area, where the show was to be recorded during the American Century Championship Golf Tournament.

Patrick mentioned that he and his crew waited almost two hours for her to show up. They even attempted to contact the WNBA several times, but the responses they received were, well, a bit lackluster.

“We learned from the commissioner that her PR staff advised her against doing it,” Patrick explained. “They hoped she wouldn’t follow through with the interview.”

He further questioned whether Engelbert had consulted with her PR team before agreeing to the interview.

Patrick expressed his thoughts, emphasizing that for the WNBA to gain respect as a legitimate league, Engelbert might need to face difficult circumstances.

He noted, “I was ready to ask tough questions, but they would have been fair. There are many opinions out there, and this was a chance to address them. Yes, the questions might be challenging, and I suspect that’s part of the reason for her cancellation, which is frustrating.”

Patrick feels that Engelbert’s refusal to sit down for the interview is detrimental to the WNBA. He, along with numerous players, had been following up on a controversial incident involving Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas from June 24.

During a contested play for the ball, Thomas inadvertently landed on Clark’s neck and then stepped over her. No foul was called, leading to much discussion.

As the days passed, Thomas shared that she received death threats, yet Engelbert reportedly did not reach out to her. Interestingly, ESPN later reported that the two exchanged texts after the incident.

On top of that, a set of Republican lawmakers expressed their concerns in a letter to Engelbert, citing what they termed as “unnecessary physical hostility and violence” toward Clark.