The horror that Indiana Fever fans faced last season has already flashed back, and it’s only six games into the season. Last season, Caitlin Clark played just 13 games because of injury, and it proved to be a massive competitive disadvantage for the team.

Even though Clark and coach Stephanie White have consistently dismissed references to any serious injury issue this season, there’s beginning to be an indication that Clark’s health may not be as stable as the team claims.

And according to WNBA reporter Annie Costabile, it seems Fever fans are beginning to find it difficult to trust the organization and its handling of the situation.

Speaking on the May 22 episode of the “No Offseason” podcast, which she hosts alongside Sabreena Merchant, Costabile said, “I think there is some lack of trust especially from the fan base because this franchise hasn’t been forthcoming in regards to the reality of injuries.”

According to Costabile, fans saw this pattern last season when Clark sat out most of the year.

“Even again going back to Caitlin last year, that window of time in which the franchise reported they were shutting her down for the season, from the game in which she suffered that last injury, there was a lot of questions about at what point did they know she was going to be out for the remainder of the season and did they wait to tell everybody about that?” she said.

So far this season, there have already been three different instances that have brought back what looks like last season’s reality with Clark. First, it was a knee issue during the Indiana Fever’s second preseason game against the Dallas Wings. Clark awkwardly landed on another player’s foot, rolled over in pain, and limped to the bench.

The second came during the season-opening loss against the same Wings team. Clark left the court twice to go into the locker room tunnel to get work done on her back. And the most recent was her absence from the May 20 game against the Portland Fire because of what the team described as back soreness.

And she is not the only player involved in injury conversations this season. Aliyah Boston has also missed time with a right meniscus injury, forcing her to miss the first regular-season game of her career. That snapped her incredible 275-game playing streak.

But then, according to Sabreena Merchant, the real red flag was that the Fever never disclosed Clark’s back issue before the season.

“They never directly acknowledged that anything was happening with her back,” Merchant said. “So, for this to come up again kind of just raises a flag about if this is something we should be concerned about long term with Caitlin.”

Although there is a valid argument for managing Clark’s workload, the way Costabile sees it, there is also the possibility that the team might be trying to couch the situation. For her, there has clearly been an injury issue around the team. And it also includes someone like Boston as well.

Now, it’s beginning to look like some fans now question the training staff’s competence or honesty, especially after Clark’s issues last season, when it appeared that maybe the franchise waited longer than expected before eventually announcing that she would miss the remainder of the year.

But ultimately, Costabile’s bottom line is that “the Fever just need to do a better job of being as transparent as they can about what’s going on with injuries.” Of course, load management is a very normal part of sports. But as she puts it, “you can’t be misleading about that.”

At the end of the day, the Fever fans hope Clark’s back issue is minor and fully disclosed. Any undisclosed injury would be a betrayal of fan trust. And for some sections, it would be an unforgivable error from the Fever front office.

For now, even as fans enjoy every movement, dribble, shot, and drive from Clark, they also do so with a silent prayer and lingering fear that she remains healthy.

WNBA Warns Indiana Fever After Caitlin Clark Misses Portland Fire Game Despite No Injury Listing

Caitlin Clark missing the Portland game without prior notice did not go without consequence. The WNBA issued an official warning to the Indiana Fever for failing to disclose her injury status on time. Because Clark missed Tuesday’s practice to receive back treatment, league rules mandated that she should be on the 5:00 PM injury report the night before the game.

This was also one of the major points that Merchant and Costabile pointed out during their podcast discussion. Costabile explained, “This is prime time, baby. We’re in this as a real sport, okay? Like, you cannot be lying about what’s going on with players’ injuries. You’re going to not only get found out. But it’s like there’s too much attention on you to try and be misleading about players’ injuries.”

And according to Merchant, teams will not only get found out or attract the wrong kind of attention. It could also lead to fines from the league. She said, “Teams get fined for doing that. And this was a national TV game on USA Network for the Fever and the Fire.”

Well, Clark did return for the team in the very next game and delivered a 22-point, 9-assist performance in their 90-82 win against the Golden State Valkyries. The Fever will play their next game against the same Valkyries on Friday. Hopefully, she will remain healthy for that game and beyond.