Alyssa Thomas put a closed fist into Caitlin Clark's throat during a game last month and the referees did nothing.
The WNBA has looked the other way on while the league’s biggest star takes a pounding.
What Congress sent WNBA Commissioner Engelbert puts the entire league at risk.
Republican Study Committee Demands the WNBA Protect Caitlin Clark
Rep. August Pfluger of Texas – chairman of the Republican Study Committee – authored a formal demand letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and recruited eleven colleagues to sign it, including Indiana Reps. Victoria Spartz, Erin Houchin, and Marlin Stutzman.
Their letter to the commissioner states what millions of fans already know: Caitlin Clark is the most important player in the history of the WNBA, and the league is letting her get assaulted in plain sight.
"Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games," the letter states. "These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable."
The threat is specific. If discrimination or retaliation is creating a hostile work environment, the lawmakers write they will "support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" – and that such conduct breaks federal civil rights law.
Caitlin Clark Has Taken More Flagrant Fouls Than Any Player in the WNBA
One bad play does not produce a nine-flagrant pattern spanning three seasons.
Clark has absorbed more flagrant fouls than any other player since entering the league in 2024 – nine across 72 career games, one every eight times she takes the court.
Statistical analysis of the 2024 season alone put the probability of that concentration happening by chance at 1 in 100,000.
Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark away from the ball in her rookie season with no call during the game, later upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Marina Mabrey knocked Clark to the ground in 2025 – retroactive Flagrant 2. Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye in a game that ended in three ejections.
Then came Thomas on June 24, pressing a fist into Clark's throat during a loose-ball scramble – and again, no call.
The WNBA upgraded that play to a Flagrant 2 the following day and suspended Thomas for one game. That is the minimum response possible. Engelbert issued no public statement and acknowledged no pattern.
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called them "cheap shots" and said Clark is "not called the same way everybody else is called."
Teammate Sophie Cunningham went further on her podcast, saying "they are definitely targeting Clark, and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her."
When a team's own players go public with it, the league has a crisis.
The DOJ Already Opened One Sports Investigation This Year
Just weeks ago, the Trump DOJ opened a civil rights investigation into Major League Baseball after three Giants pitchers wrote Bible verses on their caps for one game and the league issued warnings.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon referred the matter to the EEOC, citing Title VII violations and the league's selective enforcement of its own uniform rules.
The pattern is identical. If the WNBA is applying different standards of protection to different players – and the nine-flagrant-foul record is strong evidence it is – the DOJ has standing to act.
Title VII prohibits hostile work environments based on race. The lawmakers' letter specifically notes that "many of these attacks against Caitlin Clark may be racially motivated."
Commissioner Engelbert has until July 24 to answer three questions.
What is the league's review process for on-court violence? How does the WNBA hold players accountable? What steps is the league taking to protect players from harassment?
Simple questions. Engelbert has had two years to answer them on her own. She chose silence. Congress just took that option away.
Sources:
- Julia Cassidy, "House Republicans Demand WNBA Answer for Failures to Protect Caitlin Clark," Townhall, July 8, 2026.
- OutKick Staff, "Republican Lawmakers Press WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to Protect Caitlin Clark," OutKick, July 8, 2026.
- CBS Sports Staff, "Sophie Cunningham Says Players Are 'Definitely Targeting' Caitlin Clark. What Does the Data Say?" CBS Sports, June 2026.
- OutKick Staff, "Caitlin Clark Hard Contact Timeline: WNBA's Growing History of Brutal Hits Against the Face of the Sport," OutKick, June 2026.
- Bradford Betz, "DOJ Refers MLB to EEOC Over Bible Verse Warnings on Pride Night Caps," Fox News, June 2026.