The physical altercation between Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas during Wednesday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury has become a major talking point in the WNBA community. A U.S. senator was the latest to weigh in on the situation.
Chuck Grassley, a senior Iowa senator and president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, accused WNBA officials of failing to protect Clark.
“Caitlin Clark is a bball superstar who gets consistently treated unfairly on the court she gets a fist to the throat for example As a fan I don’t appreciate ill treatment So refs start treating Caitlin like u do every other player. What happened last night shldnt happen again,” he tweeted.
Grassley, a member of the Republican Party, happens to have some connections to the Indiana Fever star. Like Clark, Grassley is an Iowa native who attended the University of Iowa.
For what it’s worth, the WNBA decided to take action against Thomas for her role in the incident, in which her fist made contact with Clark’s throat. The Mercury star was slapped with a one-game suspension, which she will serve when Phoenix takes on the Toronto Tempo on Saturday.
As for Clark, she is set to miss the Fever’s Saturday night matchup against the LA Sparks. In the third quarter of the Mercury-Fever game, Clark headed to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. The Fever later said Clark was dealing with back issues.
“Totally Unacceptable”: Dick Vitale Condemns Physicality Toward Caitlin Clark During WNBA Games
Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale joined the chorus of protests against the physicality that Caitlin Clark has to endure.
“It is amazing that Caitlin Clark who has brought so much publicity for the WNBA has to take so much abuse from many of those that she has helped financially since her arrival.The physical pounding she takes is totally UNACCEPTABLE,” vitale tweeted.
This isn’t the first time that Vitale has come to Clark’s defense. Back in the summer of 2025, Vitale claimed that it was “jealousy” among WNBA players that led to Clark finishing ninth in the player vote for the All-Star Game.
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