Caitlin Clark throat Stephanie White Credit: USA, Duane Rankin on X
By Matt Yoder on

Things got very chippy in a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever earlier this week. So when the two sides met again in Indianapolis on Wednesday night, it was expected that things could get out of control. And that’s exactly what happened, leading to an injury to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.

On Monday, Sophie Cunningham got into it with DeWanna Bonner in a viral exchange during a scuffle after the latter left the Fever in auspicious circumstances following a stint with the team last year. But in the rematch on Wednesday, things got even more physical. And this time it was Clark in the middle of it.

First, when Clark was knocked to the floor, she received a fist in the throat courtesy of Alyssa Thomas.

While that wasn’t pleasant, what happened next was much more concerning. The Fever star had to leave the game due to a back injury after a closeout from Valeriane Ayayi. Incredibly, like we saw with Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Finals, the play was not upgraded to a flagrant foul.

Caitlin Clark has already been dealing with a back issue throughout the season, which has led to questions for the Fever and how they have approached her status in their communication with fans. They even revoked the credential of respected reporter Scott Agness over his reporting into the matter.

Now who knows what Clark’s future availability will be with being forced to leave the game on Wednesday. As for head coach Stephanie White, she blew up at her postgame press conference saying that Clark isn’t officiated like other players in the league and that what the referees did during the game was “absolutely unacceptable.”

“You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that sh*t still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable,” White said.

She also called the closeout that wasn’t upgraded, “absolutely disrespectful.” White then expressed her disbelief over the situation and how Clark was not protected during the plays while raising her voice and calling her a generational talent.

“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called. And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable,” White sternly stated.

When asked what it means going forward, the Fever coach said that Clark isn’t officiated like other players and begged for some consistency from referees.

“We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called,” White responded. She also called out the nature of the two plays.

“They were so egregious. The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The landing spot, when you went to review it and she still comes down on top of another foot? I don’t know. Because to me that’s like a do-over on a test, how do you screw it up again? When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time and time again eventually it gets frustrating. But I thought those were just more egregious,” White explained.

This has been a recurring theme ever since Caitlin Clark entered the NBA. And it’s led to the exact kind of controversial conversation and debate around the league that is unhelpful for its growth as bad actors try to turn it into some kind of culture war fodder. But as it keeps happening and the league does nothing about it, the WNBA is only adding fuel to the fire by not taking action. And now Clark is injured and the situation is reaching a breaking point. Surely something has to be done to bring some sense of calm and common sense before it’s too late.

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