What seemed like another injury scare for the Indiana Fever locker room turned into a nightmare when superstar Caitlin Clark walked out of the hardwood during the final moments of the game against the Connecticut Sun. What’s next was enough to rattle the living daylights out of the fans and her teammates. After all, Fever head coach Stephanie White confirmed her worst fears: Caitlin Clark’s injury. Again.

The 2024 ROTY succumbed to a right groin injury on Tuesday night. This marks Clark’s fourth muscle injury since the regular games began this season. These injuries prompted the athlete to miss out on 10 games this season, including the most-anticipated 2025 Commissioner’s Cup finals. Despite finishing off with an 85-77 win against the Sun, the roster lost its standout player to the sidelines.

In fact, HC White promised to take the injury status “one step at a time.” And soon, the Indiana Fever account broke the news of Clark’s questionable status ahead of the tipoff against the New York Liberty.  In fact, ESPN confirmed the reigning rookie’s playing status ahead of the tipoff against the NY Liberty.”Clark (groin) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Liberty, Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com reports,” the official sports website announced.

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, Caitlin Clark took to social media and provided a fresh update surrounding her participation in the 2025 All-Star games.”I’m incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-point contest or the All-Star game,” Clark wrote. “I have to rest my body. I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy coach our team to a win.”

The statement comes after HC White promised to take the injury status “one step at a time.” Later, the Indiana Fever account broke the news of Clark’s questionable status ahead of the tipoff against the New York Liberty. But hours before the game, ESPN changed the reigning rookie’s playing status. “Clark (groin) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Liberty, Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com reports,” the official sports website announced.

Now, the Fever guard would not only step down as the reigning captain, but also withdraw her name from the 3-point contest. This news surrounding the All-Stars was enough to send the fans into a frenzy. After all, fans had crowned Clark with the most fan votes in W history. And these votes helped the athlete secure the position of a captain.

Indiana Fever Fans assign blame after Caitlin Clark’s recent update

While her playing status changed from questionable or day-to-day to an indefinite OUT, Clark’s recent statement was enough to send the fans into a frenzy. An agitated user blamed the WNBA for the recent state of affairs. They emphasised that the league should start incorporating measures surrounding integrity and safety of the players.

They wrote on X, “@WNBA What a bummer!! We should probably start to take player safety very seriously.. especially your top 20 players. Caitlin Clark will now miss more time plus the all star game and 3 pt contest. Hopefully most Caitlin fans will still watch and support the other girls like I am!” This sentiment echoed across social media as more users blamed the league. Even Colin, Caitlin’s brother, pointed fingers earlier. “Make no mistake, this is on the reffing.”

“Blame the refs and the no fair play from those female players,” a user tweeted. Referring to the unjust treatment meted out during the recent Indiana-Connecticut game, the social media user was quick to highlight the officiating issues. The biased attitude of the refs bolstered the persistent physicality from Sun athletes and furthered their confidence levels. And these factors cost Caitlin Clark big time.

Having said that, another user took the sarcastic route to showcase the looming issues. “Congrats WNBA. You let everyone Beat your superstar into the ground and now the ratings will plummet,” they wrote. According to several fans, the league has been using Caitlin Clark and her injury to grab more eyeballs and positively impact viewership ratings and ticket sales ahead of the most-anticipated 2025 All-Star games.

“It’s sad that the @WBNA allows so many hits and some are to the neck and head. I read that some have suggested getting the NBA referees… skip that and go get the NFL refs… so sad when men in a football uniform/helmet gets a penalty for a hit to the head but it’s just ‘physical play’ when it happens in the WNBA.” This user compared the women’s basketball league to the men’s football league.

They further hinted at the Sophia Cunningham incident. Despite being known for the aggressive nature of the sport, even NFL players cannot escape a hit on the head. Whereas in the W, the referees not only fail to acknowledge, instead they overlook the entire incident.

Well, Cunningham was pushed by Sun player Ododa in the last quarter, resulting in Cunningham banging the back of her head to the floor, before her entire body crashed. But the game did not pause or stop there. The players and officials went on with their business as if nothing had happened. But unfortunately, cameras never lie. This act was caught by the cameras and sparked outrage online.

On the other hand, some players were happy to watch Clark take time out from the games and give her body adequate rest. Another user wrote, “Awesome CC! Hope your recovery goes well. The WNBA and your team need to start protecting you from the unfair treatment you receive from the refs things need to change.” But this user too assigned blame on the league and the impending loopholes that act as setbacks for certain athletes like Clark.