Thomas Slams WNBA After Death Threats Over Clark Suspension
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- Alyssa Thomas said she has received death threats and racial slurs after her one-game WNBA suspension for making contact with her fist to Caitlin Clark's throat in last Wednesday's Mercury-Fever game, calling the play "a complete accident"
- The WNBA retroactively upgraded the no-call to a flagrant foul 2 ("non-basketball act") with 6:52 left in the second quarter, even though officials did not call a foul at the time
- Thomas said she did not know the play had happened until after the game, and learned of her suspension only 10 minutes before the league posted it on social media
- Thomas criticized Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for silence: "as usual, she remains silent" — Engelbert released a statement later Tuesday saying the league "vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate" and that security is in contact with the Mercury
- Fever coach Stephanie White blasted the officiating — "It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call... You got to call it" — while the WNBA confirmed Clark's fifth technical foul of the season will stand despite the Fever's petition to rescind it
- Thomas served her suspension Saturday when the Mercury visited the Toronto Tempo; the Mercury and Fever rematch July 9 in Phoenix
Why it matters: The WNBA retroactively upgraded a no-call against Thomas and suspended her with only 10 minutes' notice, while Engelbert declined to comment on the resulting harassment until Thomas publicly shamed her into responding. A league that publicly promises player protection allowed an active threats campaign against a six-time All-Star to escalate before the commissioner's office issued a statement, and with the two teams set to rematch July 9, the officiating and safety standards around this rivalry are now a public flashpoint.
