Caitlin Clark has broken her silence a week after she was on the receiving end of what was deemed to be a “reckless” Flagrant Foul 2 from Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury.
The Indiana Fever superstar claimed the referees need to do better, also calling out the WNBA and calling for improved protection for everyone in the league.
Caitlin Clark Calls Out Referees, WNBA After Alyssa Thomas Incident
Clark made her first appearance before the media since the incident on Friday and shared her thoughts on how things unfolded. She called for improvements in the league’s refereeing standards, but admitted that the officiating job is not easy.
“I did think it was a flagrant foul. Our reffing just needs to be better. It’s tough. The referees are in a very difficult spot. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world. All you do is get yelled at by everybody. You’re never winning,” Clark said.
The 24-year-old went on to discuss how the league can do a better job of protecting the league, especially when it comes to overly aggressive defending, as she has had to deal with over the last three years.
“The league just has to do better protecting our players. In that regard, I don’t really think that it was up for debate… If you go back and watch the clip, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s been a discussion for three years now, and I think we need to do a better job protecting the people in this league,” she added.
Clark also criticized the harassment and hate players face, making it clear she did not support any of it.
“The harassment, the hate, none of that is ok. That goes for the opposing team, my teammates, my coaches. There should never be question of character… None of that is okay. I don’t want anybody to ever experience that,” Clark further said.
Caitlin Clark on incident with Alyssa Thomas:
“I did think it was a flagrant foul. Our reffing just needs to be better … The league has to do better protecting our players.”
“The harassment, the hate — none of that is ok.”
Her full comments:pic.twitter.com/87SF3VoHTo
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) July 3, 2026
After Clark received a punch to the throat from Thomas, the WNBA retroactively upgraded the incident to a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and handed her a one-game suspension. Amid physical defending, Clark left the game in the third quarter due to back trouble and is working towards her return.
It remains to be seen when Clark will be back in the Fever starting lineup. The 6-foot-0 guard is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game this season.
