The viral play between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark during the Phoenix Mercury-Indiana Fever game on Wednesday continues to spark debates. After reviewing Thomas’ hit against Clark, the WNBA announced Thomas’ suspension (one game) and fine ($1,000) a day after.
USA Today journalist Christine Brennan reached out to the WNBPA for a comment about the incident. Brennan asked Terri Jackson, the executive director of the players’ union, if “it is punishable to put your fist on a player’s throat.”
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The union spokesperson’s response adds further controversy to the situation.
WNBA Players’ Union’s Message Raises Questions About Caitlin Clark’s Treatment by Fellow Players
Brennan’s question to the union came after the WNBA community blasted former two-time All-Star Chiney Ogwumike for her comments about the Thomas-Clark incident.
On ESPN’s WNBA Countdown on Sunday, Ogwumike said that the “league was reacting to the optics of that image.”
The analyst suggested that Clark “embellishes at times in certain instances,” and that the narratives about the play were made from the “freeze-frame” images of the hit.
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While Ogwumike had a different perspective, the WNBA emphasized in its press release that Thomas had committed a “non-basketball act.”
Furthermore, the statement continued that Thomas “recklessly” made “contact with her fist on the throat of Fever guard Caitlin Clark.”
Despite the league providing an unequivocal reason for Thomas’ suspension and fine, the WNBPA, which touts its role as the body that protects players, offered an interesting response.
“The WNBPA respectfully declines comment.”
The WNBPA’s non-committal response runs contrary to what US Senator Chuck Grassley wrote Friday on X about the play. Iowa’s longtime senator tweeted:
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“Caitlin Clark is a bball superstar who gets consistently treated unfairly on the court. She gets a fist to the throat, for example. As a fan, I don’t appreciate ill treatment. So refs start treating Caitlin like u do every other player. What happened last night shldnt happen again.”
The legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale was even more passionate in ripping the officiating and calling out opposing players, writing on Friday:
“It is amazing that @CaitlinClark22, who has brought so much publicity for the @WNBA, has to take so much abuse from many of those that she has helped financially since her arrival . The physical pounding she takes is totally UNACCEPTABLE!”
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The WNBPA refused to make a statement on a controversial issue that continues to rock the league.
Despite the evidence, freeze-frame or not, the union couldn’t give a definite answer if putting a fist on another player’s throat is punishable.
With the players’ union seemingly taking a neutral stance on the controversial play, the physical pounding against Clark is unlikely to stop soon.
