​Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has again spoken out against the racist remarks directed at an opposing player, this time after Alyssa Thomas received death threats following incidental contact with Clark’s neck, which led to Thomas’s suspension. While Clark agrees that the foul should have been ruled a flagrant foul and supported the suspension, she condemned the harassment Thomas has endured.
Thomas spoke to the media, revealing that she and her family had received death threats and racial harassment in the wake of the play, calling the reaction “unacceptable.” “It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball,” Thomas told ESPN. “Many of us didn’t even know the play happened until after the game. Now we’re being labeled as thugs. There are death threats aimed at us. It’s truly unacceptable and something that needs to change in this league. I’m tired of it.” The Athletic reported this week that it obtained screenshots of nearly a dozen such messages directed at Thomas and her family.
Clark also condemned the online abuse, stating that harassment and hate have no place, whether it targets her or the opposing team, her teammates, or her coaches. “There should never be a question of character. I’ve always stood up here and said that, and that’s genuinely how I was raised,” Clark said during Friday’s media availability. The Fever are set to face the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, though Clark will not be in the lineup due to an injury unrelated to the Thomas incident.