Caitlin Clark Controversy Sparks Backlash Against Referees and Media

WHO:

Pro Football Network - Stephanie White, head coach of the Fever, criticized WNBA officials.

Sportskeeda - Caitlin Clark, a player for the Fever, received a technical foul.

WHAT:

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated, “You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that s— still happens? Absolutely unacceptable,” regarding the officiating after Caitlin Clark's injury.

The New York Times - White described the no-call on Clark being kneed in the groin and punched in the throat as “two cheap shots” that went uncalled.

The New York Times - Clark's last play was a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Mercury guard Lexi Held, tying the game at 67.

The New York Times - Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, and dished out six assists in 38 minutes.

The New York Times - The Fever allowed at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, with four losses when scoring at least 100 points, setting a WNBA record.

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated, “We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” referring to the incidents involving Caitlin Clark.

The New York Times - White described the no-call on Clark being kneed in the groin and punched in the throat as “absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

The New York Times - White criticized the officials for failing to call a foul on Valériane Ayayi when Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, stating it should have been elevated to a flagrant foul.

The New York Times - White stated that the no-calls were more “egregious” and “disrespectful” than what Clark has endured in the past.

The New York Times - White described the incident involving Alyssa Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck as a "fist in the throat" and called it "crazy" and "dangerous."

The New York Times - Clark's last play was a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Mercury guard Lexi Held, tying the game at 67.

The New York Times - Clark finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes, snapping her WNBA record of six straight games with at least 20 points and five assists.

The New York Times - The Fever allowed at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, with four losses when scoring at least 100 points, setting a WNBA record.

The New York Times - The Fever will resume their season Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Sparks. They’ll then have seven days off until they face the Las Vegas Aces on the road July 5.

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated, “We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” referring to the incidents involving Caitlin Clark.

The New York Times - White described the no-call on Clark being kneed in the groin and punched in the throat as “absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

The New York Times - White criticized the officials for failing to call a foul on Valériane Ayayi when Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, stating it should have been elevated to a flagrant foul.

The New York Times - White said, “The landing spot, when you went to review it, and (Clark) still comes down on top of another foot, I don’t know,” regarding the review of the foul on Clark.

The New York Times - White stated that the no-calls were more “egregious” and “disrespectful” than what Clark has endured in the past.

The New York Times - Clark has been listed as probable on the Fever’s injury report in the 13 games since her back injury.

The New York Times - White mentioned, “It’s a long season. We gotta make sure that she’s healthy,” regarding Clark's back injury.

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated that both no-calls on Clark were "absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful."

The New York Times - White described the incident where Clark was kneed in the groin and punched in the throat as "two cheap shots" that went uncalled.

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

The New York Times - White criticized the officials for failing to call a foul on Valériane Ayayi when Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, stating it should have been elevated to a flagrant foul.

The New York Times - Clark has missed one game this season due to a sore back, which was a 90-73 home victory over the Portland Fire on May 20.

The New York Times - Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, and dished out six assists in 38 minutes.

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated that Clark exited the game at the 5:15 mark of the third quarter due to a back injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

The New York Times - White described the incident involving Alyssa Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck as a "fist in the throat" and called it "crazy" and "dangerous."

The New York Times - Clark's last play was a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Mercury guard Lexi Held, tying the game at 67.

The New York Times - Clark finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes, snapping her WNBA record of six straight games with at least 20 points and five assists.

The New York Times - The Fever allowed at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, with four losses when scoring at least 100 points, setting a WNBA record.

The New York Times - Stephanie White stated that Clark exited the game with a back injury after a controversial play, describing the officiating as "absolutely unacceptable."

The New York Times - White criticized the officials for failing to call two fouls on Alyssa Thomas during the game, referring to one as a "fist in the throat" and calling it "crazy" and "dangerous."

The New York Times - Clark's last play was a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Mercury guard Lexi Held, tying the game at 67.

The New York Times - Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, and dished out six assists in 38 minutes.

The New York Times - Stephanie White described Alyssa Thomas' actions as a "fist in the throat" and called it "crazy" and "dangerous."

The New York Times - Caitlin Clark finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes, snapping her WNBA record of six straight games with at least 20 points and five assists.

The New York Times - Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, and dished out six assists in 38 minutes.

The New York Times - The Fever allowed at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, with four losses when scoring at least 100 points, setting a WNBA record.

Pro Football Network - Stephanie White criticized the officiating after Caitlin Clark was punched in the throat during a game, calling the officiating "disrespectful."

Pro Football Network - Alyssa Thomas received backlash for delivering a "brutal cheap shot" to Caitlin Clark during the Fever and Mercury rematch.

Pro Football Network - Stephanie White described the officiating as "Absolutely Egregious, Utterly Disrespectful."

Sportskeeda - Caitlin Clark received her fifth technical foul of the season during a game.

Sportskeeda - The Fever won the game against the Phoenix Mercury with a score of 86-77.

WHERE:

Sportskeeda - The game took place against the Phoenix Mercury.

WHEN:

The New York Times - The Fever will resume their season Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The New York Times - The Fever will face the Las Vegas Aces on July 5.

The New York Times - The Fever will resume their season against the Los Angeles Sparks and then face the Las Vegas Aces on July 5.

Sportskeeda - The game where Caitlin Clark received her fifth technical foul occurred on a Monday.

WHY:

Sportskeeda - Fans expressed outrage over Caitlin Clark's continued suspension track after the WNBA refused to rescind her technical foul.

Sportskeeda - Caitlin Clark was penalized for clapping after an argument with an official.

HOW:

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

The New York Times - White stated that Clark has been wearing a heating pad on her back this year while on the bench, which she did not do in her first two seasons.

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

The New York Times - White expressed frustration that the officials did not see the incident involving Thomas pushing down on Clark's neck, stating she was told by referees, "they didn’t see it."

Pro Football Network - Stephanie White expressed her criticism of the referees following the incident involving Caitlin Clark.

In a recent game, Stephanie White expressed her frustration over the officiating after Caitlin Clark suffered an injury, calling the no-call on two incidents involving Clark "absolutely unacceptable" and "two cheap shots." Clark's last play resulted in a turnover that allowed Mercury guard Lexi Held to tie the game at 67, while Kelsey Mitchell shone with a game-high 30 points, shooting 11-of-16 and hitting seven 3-pointers. Additionally, the Fever set a WNBA record by allowing at least 100 points for the seventh time this season, with four of those games resulting in losses despite scoring over 100 points themselves.