It has been almost a week since Alyssa Thomas’ uncalled fist-to-the-throat foul against Caitlin Clark. And yet, the dust from that incident is nowhere near settled. For WNBA analysts Cari Champion and Jemele Hill, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert bears a significant share of that blame for the way she has handled — or mishandled — volatile and polarising situations like this.

“When the smoke comes her way, she does back flips, avoiding the smoke,” Jemele Hill said on the Flagrant and Funny podcast. “That is not what the WNBA needs.”

Even after the Alyssa Thomas-Caitlin Clark controversy ignited into a full-fledged fire, the league remained silent. And this wouldn’t be the first time. When Angel Reese alleged that she was tormented by haters, the league stayed quiet and simply sent a notification that such behavior is not supported. All that the WNBA did was launch a fruitless investigation and then add more protective layers on fan behavior towards the players.

With the growth of the league, Engelbert has shown that she is a good businessperson. However, when it comes to other serious issues, like the ones that have come with the WNBA’s newfound visibility, particularly everything surrounding Caitlin Clark, her inadequacies are revealed.

“Cathy Engelbert was not equipped for this moment,” Cari Champion reflected on her co-host’s comment. “She’s a money person, and they hired her because they needed a capital raise. And so her job was to go out, get the money, and she did that. And so, as other issues have popped up, be it the officiating, be it this new dynamic and element that is Caitlin Clark, she has failed. Cathy Engelbert being silent is not going to work.”

Case in point, Engelbert’s comments last season about the toxic online vitriol surrounding the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Rather than forcefully condemning it, she pivoted to a corporate, financial talking point. She compared the rivalry to that of the NBA’s Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, focusing on how it drove business and ratings.

Even this most recent incident involving Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark saw no official public address from the commissioner until Alyssa Thomas directly called her out.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Makes First Public Address on Caitlin Clark-Alyssa Thomas Controversy

Alyssa Thomas, who received a one-game suspension for the fist-to-the-throat foul on Caitlin Clark, came out to address the incident publicly for the first time since it occurred ahead of the Commissioner’s Cup final. Her defense was that it was not intentional. And in fact, she claimed that she was not even aware of the play until after the game. 

As such, Thomas feels the backlash that has resulted from the incident has been entirely unwarranted. And it has reportedly gone far beyond online criticism to direct threats. For that, Thomas called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert directly, citing the commissioner’s silence. 

“The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate,” Engelbert said. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority. We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments. And what she said she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community.” 

It was a statement the Mercury had been waiting almost a week to receive. And it took one of their own players going public to get it. Meanwhile, storylines and narratives in the WNBA continue to keep getting worse.