The WNBA is being accused of mistreating Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
During the Fever's win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night, Clark was assessed a technical foul for clapping on the court. This came after she had a heated altercation with Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner.
“It’s ridiculous, I got a technical for clapping,” Clark told reporters after the game. “We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game I’m going to be suspended for if I’m going to get technicals for clapping.”
Clark already has five technical fouls this season, which means she's three away from a one-game suspension. James Boyd of The Athletic said the WNBA is not expected to rescind her fifth technical foul.
“The Fever say they’re still appealing Caitlin Clark’s technical foul from Monday night but they have not heard back from the WNBA,” Boyd wrote. “Again, I was told by the league that the technical foul was not rescinded.”
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
After Boyd reported this news Wednesday, some fans pointed out that Paige Bueckers' technical foul for clapping was rescinded in late May.
"I'm glad to get that one back," Bueckers said, via the Associated Press. "I was hyped and showing passion and joy and I got penalized for that."
A few WNBA fans are convinced the league will uphold Clark's technical foul because she doesn't get the same treatment as Bueckers.
"Caitlin Clark was taunting a player in the face, Paige Bueckers wasn't," a fan commented. "It's not that complicated."
"They want her to miss a game and Stephanie White won’t take a tech on her behalf so it’s likely to happen," a second fan said.
"CC got hers for instigating which she alluded to and said," another fan argued. "That's the difference."
"WNBA and their refs hate Clark and they aren't even hiding it cuz they got their money already," a social media user wrote. "Utter ridiculous."
Conflicting reports regarding Caitlin Clark's technical foul.
According to Chloe Peterson of IndyStar, the WNBA has not yet made a final decision on Clark’s tech from the Fever-Mercury game.
"As per WNBA policy, after each game the league reviews all technical fouls. Teams have the ability to provide additional information to the league and request a called technical foul to be overturned," a league spokesperson said. "We are in the process of reviewing a request from the Indiana Fever submitted today to rescind Caitlin Clark's technical foul assessed at 07:57 of the fourth period during Monday night's game against the Phoenix Mercury."
We'l see if the WNBA rescinds Clark's technical foul, especially now that Indiana fans are applying some pressure.
