Caitlin Clark has finally broken her silence on the punch to the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas.

While speaking to the media on Friday morning, Clark opened her lengthy five-minute statement by saying, “First of all, I know what you’re going to ask, and I did think it was a flagrant foul. Our reffing just needs to be better.” Clark then gave the officials some grace stating that “it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world.”

The conversation about protecting players, specifically, has been a heavily debated topic and to that Clark said, “The league has to do better protecting our players.”

To the specific foul from Thomas, Clark made a definitive statement. “I don’t think it was up for debate… You can go back and watch the clip. I think it was straight forward.”

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This response could be seen as a subtle jab at Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts and ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike. Ogwumike claimed, “When narratives are created based off of a freeze-frame, that can create a huge problem. The league was reacting to the optics of that image.” Tibbetts claimed something similar when he spoke to the media. “The goal is to clean up our game, but I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope.”

Another aspect in the aftermath of Thomas’ flagrant foul and weak suspension in my opinion, was how Thomas has played the victim. She has claimed death threats have been hurled her way, Fever head coach Stephanie White has denounced the “hate,” and WNBA media has been crying nonstop with inflammatory claims that Fever/Clark fans are spewing racism and division.

To this, Clark stated, “The harassment and the hate. None of that is ok.”

The WNBA’s biggest superstar also stated how difficult it’s been to handle all of the controversy over her first three seasons in the league. “I’m not a robot. I have emotions. I have feelings… I’m 24 years old trying to navigate a lot… There are times where it’s hard.”

Clark then spoke about how this conversation going on for over a week is a “disservice” to her team, her opponents, and the other “talented” players in the W. She wrapped up this point by stating, “It’s all of our jobs to help refocus the narratives.”

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Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark sits on the bench after an apparent injury during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

There has undoubtedly been countless conversations about how the Indiana Fever has handled protecting their star. Fans have grilled General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Amber Cox to head coach Stephanie White for a perceived lack of support for what Clark has been subjected to this season, and since she joined the league. To that, Clark made it clear that she feels supported:

“I’m thankful to be here in an organization to has my back and will always stand up for me.”

The storylines have been all over the place when it comes to sports media. While Clark has been adamant about staying off social media as much as possible, she expressed frustration with an article from The Athletic.

“The headline read like, ‘This Season Has Been Everything But Fun, Full of Frustration for Clark and the Fever.’ And I’m like, ‘No one ever asked me that.’ That’s wrong!”

The title of that article is “Why aren’t we having fun yet? This season’s Caitlin Clark experience just isn’t enjoyable,” where writer Candace Buckner makes definitive claims about Clark and her fan base. “Today, her team, which has championship aspirations, is a meh 10-8. Her base rallies around one thing: not the times when Clark builds on her league record of 20-point and 10-assist games, but when their communal claws come out against the WNBA. Her league stays in constant reactive mode, accused of failing to protect its star of stars. Her coach, Stephanie White, spends as much time serving as Clark’s personal injury lawyer (and a convincing one, at that), as she does drawing up X’s and O’s.

And guess who’s having the least fun of all? Caitlin Clark.”

(Left) Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon (4) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 17, 2025. (Right) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is fouled by Las Vegas Aces guard Alysha Clark (7) in the second quarter at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 25, 2024. The Aces defeated the Fever 99–80. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images; Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Clark ended her statement on a positive note , imploring everyone to “get back to a lot more smiling and positivity. I think our world could use a lot of that.”

Clark also made it clear before she opened it up for questions that she would still be sidelined for Sunday’s game against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces.