The infamous on-court incident on June 24 between Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas has now reached Capitol Hill. Barely a week after Clark’s statement on the foul and Thomas’ callout of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s silence, members of Congress have sent a formal letter to Engelbert calling for action over what they described as the creation of a hostile work environment.
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“Our organization nor Caitlin have had any interaction with anyone in this congressional group, and we were unaware of their letter,” Indiana Fever said in their statement as shared by reporter Chloe Peterson.
Fever statement on the letter members of Congress sent Cathy Engelbert about physicality in the league:
“We have been clear in our public comments and in our ongoing dialogue with the League about the priority of player safety. Our players and our fans know where we stand on those issues and we will continue to stick up for our team and a standard of excellence across the league.”
This statement came in response to the congressional letter, which was signed by 11 members of Congress and spearheaded by U.S. Representative August Pfluger of Texas. It specifically pointed out that the Indiana Fever star repeatedly faced excessive on-court physicality and cited incidents of hip-checking, eye-poking, and the fist-to-throat foul on June 24.
“Caitlin Clark is transforming women’s sports. She has inspired a new generation of young girls to participate in athletics and has become one of the most influential figures in the history of women’s basketball. She is also the face of your league…,” wrote RSC Chairman Pfluger.
“Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable.”
The fist-to-throat foul occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter. At the time, Thomas wasn’t sanctioned and even went on to finish the game with 24 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Days later, the Mercury player learned about her suspension just minutes before it was put on social media.
“I didn’t even know I was being suspended until 10 minutes before it was put on social media. We still have yet to hear anything yet from Cathy. It’s no surprise. You can see what’s being said on social media. It’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.”
"I didn't even know I was being suspended until 10 minutes before it was all over social media." Alyssa Thomas comments on the communication from the league.
Clark addressed this very incident on July 3, claiming she believed it was a flagrant foul and that the refereeing needed to be better. She acknowledged that the refs were in a difficult spot, and it wasn’t called in real time, but she felt it was pretty straightforward. The Fever star doubled down on her point that there needs to be a better job done in protecting the players.
Per the Indiana Fever statement, Clark’s words, which echoed the same sentiment, remain independent from the letter.
The letter’s core contention was that the league has not done enough to hold players accountable or adequately protect its stars, Clark in particular. It also raised concern that some of the hostility directed at Clark may be rooted in discrimination and urged Commissioner Engelbert to create a safe and professional environment.
While the letter focused on Clark, its wording in the subsequent paragraphs seemed to touch on multiple tangents. It may have included the Tiffany Hayes incident from May, and even Thomas’ comment on Engelbert’s silence in the aftermath of her receiving death threats.
“If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
The letter concluded by calling on the WNBA to take meaningful action and reminded the league of the opportunity it had to inspire the next generation of female athletes.
The W or Cathy Engelbert hasn’t released an official response to the letter, and whether they’ll act on this letter remains to be seen.