Nate Tibbetts of Mercury expresses anger at WNBA for Alyssa Thomas’ suspension

Discontent Surrounds WNBA Suspension of Mercury Star

The head coach of the Phoenix Mercury has expressed his discontent with how the WNBA has handled the situation regarding their star player after a controversial foul during a recent game.

Nate Tibbetts voiced his frustration over the one-game suspension handed to six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas. This suspension was a result of Thomas’s foul on Caitlin Clark, which occurred during a game against the Fever. Unfortunately, this meant she missed the following match against Tempo.

Interestingly, even though the referees did not initially call a foul, the league later reviewed the incident and deemed it flagrant 2. Reportedly, the league characterized Thomas’s contact with Clark as “reckless” for making contact with her throat area.

“I want to share my disappointment with how the suspension process was handled by our league and W-League leadership. Honestly, this investigation felt lacking,” Tibbetts commented, mentioning that he and Thomas were not contacted during the review process.

“People know who AT is,” he added, referring to Thomas. “She’s a fierce competitor and a winner. The only difference here is that she’s being unfairly singled out.”

Sparking further concern, teammate Carlea Copper also criticized how the WNBA handled the suspension, expressing solidarity with Thomas. “We’re all behind AT,” she noted. “It should have been approached in a more professional manner, with someone reaching out to her to check in.”

After the contentious game, Fever head coach Stephanie White slammed the officials for their failure to call a foul, calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

In another layer to this situation, Clarke’s teammate, Sophie Cunningham, mentioned in a podcast that opponents seem to be specifically targeting Clarke during games. “Sadly, these incidents happen routinely when she plays, and it feels like the referees are ignoring it completely,” Cunningham remarked, emphasizing that if such actions came from Clarke herself towards her own teammates, there would certainly be repercussions.