The Indiana Fever organization came under fire last week due to some questionable injury reporting surrounding superstar point guard Caitlin Clark. After not being listed on Tuesday’s injury report, it was revealed that Clark didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice, and she was ultimately ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Portland Fire.
The league issued a warning to the Fever for its handling of Clark’s injury, but Fever coach Stephanie White isn’t quite clear on why any reprimanding was warranted.
“My reaction is: ‘For what?’” White said of the warning.
“Because we did things the right way,” she added after being asked to elaborate.
#Fever HC Stephanie White’s reaction to the #WNBA’s warning regarding Caitlin Clark/injury report? “My reaction is: for what?”
Why is that SW’s reaction? “Because we did things the right way.”
You’ve deferred to the medical team, but we can’t talk to them: “I’m sorry.” *shrugs* pic.twitter.com/9gJmMAQTwr
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 22, 2026
Clark explained on Friday why, although she fully intended to play in Wednesday’s game, it was decided late that she’d be held out due to an uncooperative back.
“Coming back from injury and having three soft tissues or however many soft tissue injuries is a real mental challenge,” said Clark. “And these are the best players in the world. And if I don’t feel 100% confident in my body, like, on game 5 of the year, I don’t know if that’s really worth it in that scenario.
“I want to play every single game. I want to play 44 games in a season. I’m doing everything I can to do that. By putting my body in my best position I can to, and I feel really good and really confident in my body, but there’s moments where I still struggle a little bit and I get in my head and things like that, and I’m sore. Like, that’s just reality of it. You can ask any athlete, you can ask any basketball player, women’s basketball players, or any athlete around the country, any professional sport, they’ll tell you the same exact thing.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.