Did the WNBA mishandle this situation?
WNBA Faces Backlash After Controversial Caitlin Clark Incident originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It has now been three weeks since Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was involved in a controversial incident in a game against the Connecticut Sun. The issue, however, continues to be a hot topic — especially for award-winning reporter Christine Brennan, who decided to call out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a recent interview.
In an appearance on WHO13 News on Sunday, Brennan looked back at the June 17 game between the Fever and the Sun. In particular, the USA Today sports columnist singled out the incident wherein Sun veteran Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground during a heated altercation.
Mabrey was hit with a technical foul for her actions against Clark, but Brennan believes that the league should have issued a harsher punishment to the Sun player after the game.
Things were HEATED between the Sun and Fever tonight 😳
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2025
-Caitlin Clark T'd up
-Marina Mabrey T'd up
-Jacy Sheldon assessed flagrant
-Sophie Cunningham ejected pic.twitter.com/CUnso6z4a9
Brennan blatantly called out Engelbert for her lack of decisive action after the incident, while also demanding that Clark get better treatment from the league.
"This incredible inability to deal with the facts and to state the obvious, it is astounding to me," Brennan said. "How Cathy Engelbert doesn’t come out after the Marina Mabrey hit and say, 'That’s unacceptable, the refs got it wrong. You should have been kicked out then. You weren’t. But now I’m going to kick you out and now you’re suspended for another game or two.'"
"That’s just unacceptable behavior for someone who’s that important to the league or to any player, right? (The league) can’t do that. They seem paralyzed."
Brennan, whose book, "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," is set to hit shelves on Tuesday, has been a firm advocate for the Fever superstar.
She's called out prominent personalities in the league in the past, including Minnesota Lynx and Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve, and the renowned reporter has now turned her unforgiving gaze on Engelbert.
Related: Indiana Fever on Temporary Leave Suffers Painful Blow on Sunday
Related: Fan Receives Unexpected Favor From Caitlin Clark on Monday
Related: Caitlin Clark, Fever Teammates React to Sophie Cunningham's Exciting Post
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
