Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark addressed the issue of online harassment against WNBA players on Friday. Her comments came after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she has been fielding death threats since committing a flagrant foul on Clark two weeks ago.
"The harassment, the hate — none of that is okay," Clark said. "There should never be question of character, I've always stood up here and said that. And that's truly what I believe, that's how I was raised."
Clark Pushes WNBA to Invest In Officiating, Player Safety
"I think for the league as a whole, there's been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight up hateful nonsense, and it is absolutely unacceptable," Fever head coach Stephanie White added on Wednesday.
Clark also took aim at the WNBA’s refereeing standards and how they impact player safety. She touched on the lack of league resources to systemically improve officiating. While WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert addressed the on-court incident between Thomas and Clark, the Indiana guard thinks more should be done.
"Overall, the league just has to do better. We have to invest in those areas," she said. "Technology can get better; we can treat the referees a little bit better, pay them like they're full-time employees."
