Fever coach Stephanie White dodges question on GOP letter about Caitlin Clark’s treatment in WNBA
PHOENIX – Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White showed little interest in addressing a recent letter sent by 11 Republican members of Congress to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert regarding the treatment of superstar Caitlin Clark.
OutKick asked White before Thursday night’s game What was the reaction of Republican lawmakers to the letter to the Phoenix Mercury, which expressed concern about the “physical hostility” and “violence” Clark faced and suggested it may have been “racially motivated”?
“Our team made a statement yesterday, and you can find that statement, too,” White said.
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Coach Stephanie White deflected questions about the congressional letter regarding Caitlin Clark’s safety, saying the Indiana Fever are focused on what they control. (Trevor Ruszkowski/IMAGN Images)
“I understand that, so how do you handle that as a coach when you hear that one of your players was named in a letter from members of Congress to the league commissioner?” I pressed it.
“Again, this is not something we can control,” White said, dodging the question a second time before repeating some of the wording from the team’s statement.
“We have no affiliation with these groups. We try to keep the main issue the main issue and focus on the things we can control.”
Fever released a statement Wednesday saying: “Our organization or Caitlin had no interaction with anyone in this congressional group, and we were unaware of their letter.”
The statement continued: “We have been clear about the priority of player safety in our public statements and in our ongoing dialogue with the League. Our players and fans know where we stand on these issues, and we will continue to stand by our team and league-wide standard of excellence.”
In other words, Fever and White are willing to discuss the issue of “player safety” broadly, but neither directly addresses whether race has anything to do with how Clark was treated specifically.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark tries to defend herself after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas thrust her fist into the Fever guard’s throat. (Grace Smith/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Of course, Clark is by far the biggest star in the league and everyone involved needs to protect him at all costs. But it looks like many players in the WNBA may not have made the grade.
As the letter states, “Clark was hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go well beyond routine physical play, but the WNBA and its administrators have frequently failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable.”
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The Fever ruled out Clark’s game against Phoenix on Thursday night, even though the guard played 16 minutes against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday and said afterward that his “body felt great.”
White did not address whether Clark’s decision to sit out had anything to do with Thursday’s opponent, the Mercury. Before Wednesday’s game, Clark and Aliyah had said Boston would go back-to-back, with Clark active against Los Angeles and Boston active against Phoenix.
When the Fever and Mercury last met on June 24, Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Clark’s throat area during a tackle for a loose ball.
No fouls were called in real time on the game, but the next day the WNBA announced that Thomas received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension following post-game review.
The WNBA issued a Flagrant 2 decision against Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for punching Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the throat. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Many fans were eagerly anticipating a rematch between the two teams, as the June 22 matchup also brought out the now-famous Sophie Cunningham sign meme.
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While Cunningham appeared in court in Phoenix on Thursday night, Clark did not.
Maybe the Fever are taking player safety seriously and not exposing him to the team that sent “two cheap shots” to Clark, per White.
Of course, it would be better for teams to stop taking cheap shots on Clark altogether. Baby steps though.
