The discourse around WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and her incident with Alyssa Thomas has reached Washington, D.C.
A group of Republican lawmakers — led by Texas Rep. August Pfluger — penned a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert this week “pressing for greater accountability following repeated acts of physical violence” against Clark.
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In the letter, signed by the 11 members of the Republican Study Committee, Pfluger writes that “Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable.”
The Texas congressman went on to add that if Engelbert and the WNBA don’t act to protect the Indiana Fever guard, action from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission could follow.
“I’m putting the league on notice that if it keeps letting the violent targeting slide, they could find themselves facing a DOJ and EEOC crackdown for violating federal civil rights law,” Pfluger wrote in a tweet.
Adding their signatures to the letter were Indiana Reps. Erin Houchin, Marlin Stutzman and Victoria Spartz, Tennessee Reps. Diana Harshbarger, Tim Burchett and John Rose, Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn, Missouri Rep. Mark Alford, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions and South Carolina Rep. Sheri Biggs.
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“Caitlin Clark has transformed women’s basketball and inspired a new generation, while getting hammered for it with no accountability,” Alford said in a statement. “That’s not competition, that’s failure. Protect your players, enforce your rules, or don’t be surprised when it raises serious federal civil rights questions.”
More: Caitlin Clark talks scrutiny, hate and WNBA controversy: ‘I’m not a robot’
When reached for additional comment by USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday, Pfluger said: “The question we’re asking is simple: will the WNBA protect its players or won’t it? Commissioner Engelbert can hold those responsible for the violence against Caitlin Clark accountable and show the next generation of female athletes this league is safe, or she can keep turning a blind eye to it while the violence continues on national television.”
In a statement to the Indianapolis Star, the Fever said the organization nor Clark has talked to anyone within the Republican Study Committee and they were unaware of the letter.
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“We have been clear in our public comments and in our ongoing dialogue with the league about the priority of player safety,” the Fever said.
The WNBA was pushed into this spotlight on June 24 when, during the Fever’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Alyssa Thomas landed on Clark, pushed her fist into Clark’s throat, then stepped over her amidst a scramble for a loose ball. No foul was called in the moment of the incident, but the WNBA deemed it as a Flagrant 2 foul the next day and suspended Thomas for a game, saying the veteran forward “recklessly” made contact with Clark and “committed a non-basketball act.”
In the following days, Thomas said she received death threats after the incident and said Engelbert never reached out to her. Engelbert then issued a statement that said the league “vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate.”
Politicians and media personalities have taken turns weighing in on the incident. President Donald Trump even mentioned it, saying Clark was “treated rather rough.”
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Clark said last week she was ready for the discussion around her incident with Thomas to be finished.
“Discuss my play. Discuss if I played bad, discuss if I played good,” Clark said. “I tend to understand there’s other things that need to be talked about. Great, whatever, but let’s continue to move on. I think just focusing on the joy and amazing parts of this game.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP lawmakers demand accountability from WNBA after ‘attacks’ on Caitlin Clark
