Some of the people who have spoken against Alyssa Thomas’ recent uncalled fist-to-the-throat foul against Caitlin Clark have been quite strong in their criticism of the action. Some have, however, tied that action to a broader narrative of Clark being deliberately targeted by players in the league. It is this latter position that American TV host Tomi Lahren boldly takes on the issue.

“Caitlin Clark, Golden Goose of the WNBA, was assaulted on the court this week,” she said while discussing the incident on Fox’s Big Weekend Show, a clip of which she shared on Instagram. “She’s not the only high-profile player in the WNBA. But she certainly brought in a new excitement to the game, to women’s basketball. But they want to snuff her out.”

Lahren used quite a number of strong words in describing the foul. She described it as an assault, an abuse, and a deliberate hostile attempt to push Clark out of the league. The way she views it, Caitlin Clark being in the spotlight is not something some players enjoy very much. And so they are trying to snuff her out rather than embrace what she brings to the game.

But for Lahren, Caitlin Clark very much merits the kind of spotlight she gets in the WNBA, both skill-wise and in terms of the attention she brings to the league. And as such, it is not possible to have her impact ignored or pushed aside simply because some people may not like the attention around her.

Lahren used the case of Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani to drive home her point.

“That will be like Major League Baseball saying, you know, Shohei Ohtani, you sit down for a while, let somebody else take the spotlight,” she said. “It’s like the merit of the game. She’s a good player; she draws a lot of fans, and they just can’t stand it.”

For players like Shohei Ohtani, who have single-handedly shifted the economic and media landscapes of their respective sports because of their skill and marketability, it’s safe to say they’ve earned that spotlight. And by Lahren’s argument, Clark falls into that same category in the WNBA, meaning she very much deserves every bit of the attention she is getting.

Caitlin Clark Yet to Publicly Address Alyssa Thomas Foul Incident: Alyssa Thomas Already Has

Since the Alyssa Thomas foul incident, Caitlin Clark has not come out to personally address the issue. In fact, in the game where it happened, she eventually left with a back injury. As a result, she missed the Indiana Fever’s subsequent game against the LA Sparks.

On the other hand, Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas has come out to address the issue. In her explanation, she maintained that the foul was not a deliberate action. In fact, she said she did not even know the play had happened until after the game.

Thomas, however, also mentioned that the backlash that has resulted from the incident has been overwhelming. In fact, it has gone beyond criticism and turned into threats and abuse. She also called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for what she saw as prolonged silence on the issue.

For now, Clark has allowed others to do most of the talking around the incident. But with Thomas’ side of it now out, maybe it’s really nothing but an accident after all. But regardless, it appears that the controversy that has kicked off with that issue is not dying down anytime soon.