Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts criticized the WNBA's suspension process before his team's 89-80 win over the Toronto Tempo on Saturday. Alyssa Thomas sat out the game after the league retroactively penalized her for making contact with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark's throat area during Wednesday's matchup.
While officials failed to call a foul during the game, the WNBA did upgrade the play to a Flagrant 2 after a postgame video review. Tibbetts, however, said the league never reached out to Thomas, himself, or team security before issuing the suspension.
Tibbetts Details Flaws in Alyssa Thomas vs Caitlin Clark Investigation
"This was not a thorough investigation in my opinion," he said. Fever coach Stephanie White had previously described the play as a "cheap shot," but Tibbetts rejected that characterization.
"She's a competitor, she's a winner, and she's tough," he said of the veteran Mercury forward. "The one thing she is not is cheap."
After Saturday's win, her Phoenix teammates rallied around Thomas as well. Guard Kahleah Copper said the team wished "somebody also called her and checked on her," while guard Lexi Held slammed the media for spreading false and untrue narratives.
Tibbetts also pushed for consistent standards across the league, regardless of a player's profile, fanbase, or experience level: "If this is the standard, make this the standard, even if the roles were reversed in this situation."
Phoenix next faces the Seattle Storm on Thursday at 10 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
