Ever since the June 24 Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas incident, questions over physicality and dangerous contact in the WNBA have become the biggest talking point around the league. It has been 3 weeks since everything spiraled, but rather than the topic dying down, the conversation has only grown louder, even reaching U.S. lawmakers, who are now demanding answers on what the league is doing to protect its players and create a safe environment across the league. Now, former Indiana Fever star Katie Douglas has weighed in on the debate.

“It is helpful,” Douglas said during her conversation with Aishah Hasnie yesterday. “Anytime you have lawmakers now using their voice and using their platform, I think it is helpful just to bring continued awareness. What everybody is asking for lawmakers, players, (and) GMs, I think, across the board, is the league to find that consistency with officiating.”

Eleven Republican lawmakers, led by Texas Rep. August Pfluger, sent commissioner Cathy Engelbert a letter demanding accountability for what they called “repeated acts of physical hostility and violence” against Caitlin Clark, and gave the league until July 24 to respond. 

Now, there is a reason why that controversial play still hasn’t faded from the headlines. On July 9, when the Mercury and the Fever locked horns once again, Thomas’ elbow caught Lexie Hull in the face while she was attacking the basket, leaving the Fever guard with a bloodied nose. This time, however, officials reviewed the contact during the game and ruled it a legal basketball play.

“That’s just a natural movement that she’s making,” Douglas added, comparing the Hull and Caitlin incident. “I don’t think she leaned excessively into her. It’s just a true natural movement. So I think the difference is putting somebody’s fist on somebody’s throat is not a natural movement.”

There is no doubt that refs are definitely calling more fouls this season, averaging 44 fouls per game through the first 10 days of the 2026 season. The number sat at 38.7 through the first 10 days of the 2025 season. But, per Douglas, missing a dangerous play like the Caitlin Clark & Thomas one is exactly the kind of inconsistency the league still needs to eliminate

“There needs to be some change,” she said. “What’s different today is the officiating is inconsistent. I think that they’re letting it get too physical, and players are competitive, right, so players are playing, their competitive juices are flowing, but when there’s an inconsistency across the board, it just gives that window of opportunity to see how far you can take it. So there definitely needs to be some change. There needs to be consistency with that level of physicality.”

So the need of the hour isn’t softer games, but more consistent officiating.