The WNBA’s decision to rescind Caitlin Clark’s eighth technical foul was widely praised, but one person seems to think otherwise. While discussing the incident and the rescission, ESPN analyst Monica McNutt gave an explanation that even surprised her team.
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“All I’m saying is I have flashbacks to college when my teammate bumped into a coach like this, and it was a problem,” McNutt said on ESPN’s WNBA Countdown, leaving the rest of the panel surprised. “But I think when we analyze it, if Caitlin didn’t say anything, it is marginal, I think rescinding it was fine. But I do understand in the moment how we got here.”
Clark had initially been handed a technical foul during the Indiana Fever’s 90-86 win over the Chicago Sky when she ran into a ref out of bounds near the baseline in the third quarter. However, many later realized that it might have been due to a shove from Natasha Cloud. The foul was rescinded after the game, but McNutt had her own take.
When McNutt’s co-host Chiney Ogwumike was completely in agreement with the rescission, McNutt made a face to show that she wasn’t sure about the decision. However, considering that she had a context to her claim, we can see why she had her reservations. But as it turns out, Clark actually did not seem to say anything to the referee or anyone else.
After she bumped into the ref, Clark, who was in the flow of the game, got back into the lines to continue the transition. But if the league had not rescinded the call, this technical would’ve been Clark’s eighth with its own consequences.
She would’ve been automatically suspended for the team’s next game against the New York Liberty. Crew Chief Maj Forsberg told the media that Clark was called for a foul because they “deemed that Clark intentionally made contact.”
The call was just one part of a tense game, which also saw Indiana head coach Stephanie White get caught in the fire. After trying to defend Clark and arguing on her behalf, the refs assessed her a foul, which she did not think was warranted.
“My tech was for saying ‘that’s b——-,’ even though I heard the F-bomb the whole f——- game,” White said after the game, as reported by Reuters.
For now, Clark will suit up for the team’s next big game against the New York Liberty.