Before Caitlin Clark’s heartbreaking injury in the game against Connecticut broke hearts and made headlines, her rift with the referees was snowballing into frustration. From Colin Clark to Colin Cowherd, that sentiment spilled long after the situation had cooled. “Fix the refereeing in WNBA,” the Fever sensation’s brother said just a few days before the All-Star festivities rolled in. And by the looks of it, the dust hasn’t settled down yet.

Only this time, the comments came from the reigning ROTY herself. Caught in the eye of the “physicality” storm, Clark has been pretty vocal about how she has not been a fan of the WNBA officiating. While we initially saw the Fever star be understanding—even commenting, “It shouldn’t have been upgraded, but again, that’s up to the ref’s discretion,” after her infamous scuffle involving Angel Reese—things reached a fever pitch during Indiana’s clash vs Connecticut Sun. In a heated exchange with referee Michael Price during the Fever’s 85-77 on Tuesday night, Clark was heard saying, “That’s just rude. Grow up,” and even had to be held back by assistant coach Briann Janury at one point. Now, days in, CC is finally speaking out.

Already known for being “fun, playful and a little sarcastic”, the Fever star decided she’d address the situation in typical Clark fashion. Joining Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe on their A Touch More live podcast, the Fever guard looked back on the referee interaction. In all fun and giggles, she began, “I’m calling to sue the Head of the officials.” Bird and Rapinoe played along, too, with the Seattle Storm icon even seemingly predicting a response: “Too loud, too loud, (hang up).” 

While Clark may have been joking around now, she looked to be serious about the move just days ago. It was the third quarter of the game on Tuesday night when Clark was preparing to inbound the ball. But as the Sun challenged the call, the ref snatched the ball away. What followed was a little conversation that blew up into an outburst. Reports suggest that the star guard appeared to say, “Unbelievable. I’m going to call the league on you.”

While the interaction now was held in jest, the message it sent is clear. The inconsistencies in refereeing have been evident. Moreover, Clark’s rift even led to an interesting discovery, with a troubling 2013 report of the referee in question coming to light. As per an X user who shared two screenshots from the website Swish Appeal, that mentioned, “if you want a game with no interruptions you want Brenda Pantoja, Michael Price (!) and Denise Brooks-Clause,” and “My favorite (?) referee is Michael Price – I always joke that he’ll call a few fouls if he feels that there have been too few fouls called in the game, and he is definitely no-nonsense”. 

This report only added fuel to the narrative.  

Stephanie White and more speak up for Caitlin Clark

It’s not just the fans who have been speaking out. After Caitlin Clark’s recent injury against the Connecticut Sun, Stephanie While suggested that due to the way CC is defended and the lack of fouls being called, it might be contributing to her injuries. 

“Someone who has the ball in her hands as much as Caitlin, the physicality she is experiencing for 40 minutes, it causes you to load differently, explode differently, accelerate and decelerate differently,” she stated in the post-game presser. Clark’s brother Colin also seemed to have been of a similar opinion.  

“Make no mistake, this is on the reffing,” he had remarked in a now-deleted post while Colin Cowherd opined the missed calls weren’t exactly keeping the physicality of the league in check. Like Michael Jordan was subjected to tough play in his second year, eventually leading to an injury, the broadcaster believes Clark’s facing something similar. “The officials are letting a lot of stuff go that almost feels inappropriate,” he states.

During the game against the Dallas Wings, ESPN broadcasters Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Roucco did not shy away either, shedding light on the number of fouls Clark had the face in a single possession. The voices are loud. And maybe it’s time Cathy Engelbert takes notice.