Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts strongly disagrees with the WNBA’s decision to suspend Alyssa Thomas following her hard foul on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Speaking after the league announced the suspension in a quote obtained by Sarah Maat, Tibbetts defended Thomas and pushed back against the characterization of the play.
“To say that we had two cheap shots in that game to me is ridiculous,” Tibbetts said. “The goal is to clean up our game, but I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots.”
Thomas was suspended one game after the WNBA upgraded her foul on Clark to a Flagrant 2 upon league review. The play occurred with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter of Phoenix’s matchup against Indiana on Wednesday. Officials did not assess a foul on the play during the game, but the league later determined the contact warranted a suspension, forcing Thomas to miss Saturday’s game against the Toronto Tempo.
The incident added to the ongoing conversation surrounding the physical play Clark has faced this season. Following the game, Fever head coach Stephanie White criticized the officiating crew for not calling a foul in real time.
“It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it,” White said after the game. “You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that (expletive) still happens? Absolutely unacceptable.”
The suspension marks another high-profile disciplinary decision involving contact against Clark and is likely to continue fueling debate about the league’s officiating standards and player safety. The Indiana Fever also released a statement via team president Kelly Krauskopf, reacting to the league’s review and calling for player safety.
“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday.”
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