Fever coach Stephanie White dodges question in GOP letter about WNBA’s treatment of Caitlin Clark
PHOENIX – Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White showed little interest in addressing the latest letter sent by 11 members of Congress to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert regarding the treatment of star Caitlin Clark.
OutKick asked White before Thursday night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury what he had to say about the letter, which said Republican lawmakers were concerned about the “physical hostility” and “violence” Clark faced and suggested it was “racially motivated.”
“Our team made a statement yesterday to get that statement,” said White.
A FEVER HEAD COACH IS EDUCATING AMERICA ABOUT VIOLENCE AND HOMOPHOBIA AS THE CAITLIN CLARK STORY BEGINS THE SHIFT.
Coach Stephanie White answered questions about the conference letter about safety Caitlin Clark, saying the Indiana Fever are focused on their control. (Photos by Trevor Ruszkowski/IMAGN)
“I understand that, I just mean as a coach if you hear that one of your players is mentioned in a letter from members of Congress to the commissioner of the division, how do you handle that?” I pressed.
“Once again, it’s not something we can’t control,” said White, turning his back on the question for a second time before echoing it in another language in the team’s statement.
“We have nothing to do with those groups. We try to keep the main thing and focus on the things we can’t control.”
Fever released a statement Wednesday that said, “Our organization and Caitlin have had contact with anyone on the conference team and we were not aware of their letter.”
The statement continued: “We have been clear in our public comments and in our ongoing discussions with the League about how important player safety is. Our players and our fans know where we stand on those issues, and we will continue to hold our team and the standard of excellence across the league.”
In other words, Fever and White are willing to discuss more about “player safety” but have not specifically addressed how race is related to how Clark is treated.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark tries to defend herself after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas slams her fist into the throat of the Fever guard. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Of course, Clark is the league’s biggest star by a wide margin and everyone involved should protect him at all costs. However, it appears that many players in the WNBA may not have gotten that memo.
As the letter states, “Clark has been groped in the hip, poked in the eye, and hit in the throat during games. These incidents go beyond normal physical play, yet the WNBA and its management have repeatedly failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable.”
CANDACE PARKER TELLS CAITLIN CLARK HATERS ‘GOING TO THERAPY’ AFTER SHOCKING MARLING WNBA PLAYERS
The Fever ruled Clark out of Thursday night’s game against Phoenix even though the guard played 16 minutes Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks and said afterward that his “body feels good.”
White did not say whether Clark’s decision to stay had anything to do with Thursday’s opponent, the Mercury. He said before Wednesday’s game that Clark and Aliyah Boston would split the back-to-back, with Clark playing against Los Angeles and Boston playing against Phoenix.
The last time the Fever and Mercury met, on June 24, Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Clark’s throat while fighting for a loose ball.
No foul was called on the play in real time, but the WNBA announced the next day that Thomas received a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game suspension after a post-game review.
The WNBA issued a Flagrant 2 against Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for driving her fist into the throat of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Many fans have been looking forward to a rematch between the two teams, as their meeting on June 22 also featured the now famous Sophie Cunningham pointing meme.
OUTKICK IS NOW ON THE FOX APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
When Cunningham took the court Thursday night in Phoenix, Clark did not.
Perhaps the Fever are taking the player’s safety seriously and not including him on the team, which, according to White, brought “two cheap shots” to Clark.
Of course, it would be better if teams stopped taking cheap shots at Clark altogether. Baby steps, however.
