Sophie Cunningham says players are 'definitely targeting' Caitlin Clark. What does the data say?
CBS Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham defended teammate Caitlin Clark after Clark suffered a back injury from physical fouls during a loss to the Mercury, criticizing the league and referees for failing to protect her.
- Alyssa Thomas of the Mercury was suspended one game after the league retroactively upgraded her foul against Clark to a Flagrant 2 for "recklessly making contact" with Clark's throat.
- Clark has received nine flagrant fouls since entering the league in 2024, the most of any player, with many incidents involving physical contact that were either not called or only retroactively penalized.
- Cunningham accused officials of consistently allowing opponents to use excessive physicality against Clark without proper in-game consequences, highlighting a perceived lack of protection for the star player.
- The pattern of post-game foul upgrades and suspensions suggests issues with officiating consistency rather than intentional targeting by opponents or a league conspiracy against Clark.
