Rusty Weiss
The WNBA’s players’ union is catching heat after refusing to take a clear stance on a controversial foul involving Caitlin Clark.
By now, readers are well aware of the situation stemming from last week’s Mercury–Fever game. Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas blatantly drove her fist into Clark’s throat area during a scramble for a loose ball. No foul was called live, but the league reviewed the play afterward, upgraded it to a Flagrant 2. Thomas was suspended for one game and fined $1,000.
The WNBA described it as a “non-basketball act” that was “reckless.”
An understatement if ever there was one.
Veteran sportswriter Christine Brennan reached out to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson for some basic clarity on the rules. She asked a straightforward question: Is it punishable to put your fist in another player’s throat, or is it not?
The response from the union?
“The WNBPA respectfully declines comment,” they replied.
The clown show with this league seemingly never ends.
As controversy swirls over Alyssa Thomas’ one-game suspension, I reached out to WNBPA exec. director Terri Jackson, asking this:
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 29, 2026
“Is it punishable to put your fist in another player’s throat, or is it not?”
Players’ union spokesman: “The WNBPA respectfully declines comment.”
As you might imagine, that non-answer isn’t sitting well with a lot of fans.
“I respectfully call out WNBPA and its executive director as dirtbags,” one person replied.
“Declined to comment. Shameful,” another wrote. “I’m guessing what they really wanted to say was, ‘It depends on which player.'”
Clark has become the league’s biggest drawing card by far. Her games routinely double or triple viewership numbers when she’s not playing, and she’s been credited with helping secure better deals for everyone during the last CBA talks. So when she’s on the receiving end of what many are calling a dangerous play, fans expect the players’ union — the group supposedly looking out for everyone’s safety — to at least address it.
Instead, silence.
The union’s decision not to comment stands in contrast to the league office’s relatively quick action on the suspension. Thomas will miss Saturday’s game against Toronto. Clark, meanwhile, has been the target of several physical plays not only this season, but in seasons past. Fans are left wondering about how the league protects its stars.
It’s an obvious pattern of targeted physicality against the league’s most marketable player. The optics of the union avoiding a simple question about player safety isn’t exactly going to calm things down.
