“She Comes Off as Weak Little Toddler”: Caitlin Clark Urged to Get Physically Violent With Opponents by FS1 Analyst

FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho has urged Caitlin Clark to fight back and send a warning across the WNBA. Acho made the comments on Thursday amid the controversy surrounding Alyssa Thomas’ contact with Clark’s neck during Wednesday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury.

Thomas was suspended after the referees didn’t review the incident in real time. It’s not the first time Clark has endured illegal contact since her WNBA debut. Keeping that in mind, Acho advised Clark to make a statement by hitting back.

“She has to fight one of these women,” he said on the Speakeasy podcast on Thursday. “I say this with a straight face because Caitlin, eventually, if you fight somebody, now they will know, the next time they try you, they’re going to have to fight. You might lose, but they’re not going to want to fight you every single time. … They treat you like a roach that’s intruded into their house. And a roach that steps into your house, you step on it. …

“Right now … the WNBA athletes, they treat you like an insect. They just flick you around, they step on you, they shoot you around, they whoop you around into the dust pan, open the window and throw you the hell out. Then you got all these individuals, all these men trying to cape for you. Fight one of these women! And then see what happens.”

Acho added that Clark only gets bullied because of her personality.

“She comes off as soft, she comes off as weak, she comes off as a brat, she comes off as too pompous. She comes off as like a weak little toddler.”

Among the most notable incidents, Chennedy Carter infamously shoved Caitlin Clark on a dead-ball possession in her rookie year and Mabrey gave Clark the same treatment last year during a regular-season game. Clark also faces the most physical defenses of anyone in the league. In 2024, 17% of the Flagrant fouls were committed against Clark as a rookie.

However, the Fever star has avoided physical altercations. Instead, she’s picked up issues with referees, trash-talked players, and got the crowd engaged after tense moments.

T.J. Ward demands Caitlin Clark be “nice” and not act “privileged”

Former Super Bowl winner T.J. Ward called out Caitlin Clark for acting “privileged.” He feels that’s what gets Clark into trouble. Ward added that if the Fever star can’t fight, she needs to play more “nice” like Paige Bueckers and Sabrina Ionescu to stay out of trouble.

 

“She’s privileged, she’s a brat … she’s a great player, but that’s what gets her in trouble,” Ward said on Thursday’s show of Speakeasy. “You don’t see these issues with Paige and Sabrina, and some of the other players, you know why? ‘Cause they’re nice. They’re nice. And if you can’t fight, you better be a nice person.”

It’s a never-ending debate between Caitlin Clark’s fans and her rivals’ fans. That’s the price being a polarising superstar has to pay, as everything the Fever star does will be under a microscope. Clark facing criticism amid Alyssa Thomas’ suspension sums up the discourse around the superstar guard.

Read more:

• “Old and Jealous”: Caitlin Clark Fans Bash Tiffany Hayes and Natasha Mack For Opposing Alyssa Thomas’ Suspension
• Analyst Explains Possible Reason Behind Caitlin Clark’s Exclusion from WNBA’s 30-Year Celebratory Poster