With 6:52 left in the second quarter of a tightly contested Fever-Mercury game on Wednesday, Alyssa Thomas seemed to be pressing her fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat during a loose-ball scramble. The Mercury went on to win 111-109, and no foul was called at the moment. But the WNBA acted the next day, retroactively assessing Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2 for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” and suspending her for one game, which marked the first suspension in Thomas’ 13-year career. Thomas was also fined $1,000.

Phoenix Mercury Head Coach, Nate Tibbetts, though, was irked – not by the decision itself, but by how the league reached there.

“I’d like to express my disappointment with the suspension process by our league and our leaders in the W,” Tibbetts said before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Tempo. “This was not a thorough investigation, in my opinion. The people involved were not questioned at all.”

He further pointed out that no one from the league contacted his security staff or him directly: “No one from the league called our security team or myself about what we felt happened in this situation. There is a protocol to be followed. Coming from the NBA, there have been many investigations where calls were made to both sides, and that was not done in this situation.”

While Tibbetts’ NBA comparison has merit as context, neither the WNBA nor the NBA is mandated to interview parties before handing down discipline. However, in high-profile cases, the NBA has typically chosen to do so. For example, during the Draymond Green and Steven Adams incident in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the league opted to interview both sides because of the severity and the sensationality of the situation. Given the national spotlight the Clark-Thomas incident drew, the Mercury camp felt the same logic should have applied here. 

Tibbetts further pushed back on the broader narrative, warning the league not to let outside noise drive decisions:

“I do think it’s important not to rely on social media screenshots. This is a slippery slope.

“React to situations like this with consistency. Let’s not base it on generational talent, fanbase involvement, All-Star-level players or role players. Let’s not base it on veterans or young players, or White players or Black players, or international players. If this is the standard, make this the standard, even if the roles were reversed.”

Alyssa Thomas’ teammates spoke around similar lines.

“We’re with AT. We just wish it would have been handled the right way. We wish somebody also called her and checked on her and made sure that she was okay,” Kahleah Copper said in her pre-game press conference. “I don’t think it played out how it should have professionally.”

Guard Lexie Hull also pushed back on the narratives taking shape around Thomas: “We don’t think it was handled the best way. There’s a lot of narratives going around that are false and untrue. It’s not who she is or how she is.”

DeWanna Bonner, Thomas’ partner, too, posted an Instagram story with a photo of the couple, writing: “Forever got your front and your back!! We love you!!”

Owing to her suspension, Alyssa Thomas did not play against the Tempo, which the Mercury went on to win, and will return to play on July 2 when Phoenix hosts Seattle.