The Mercury’s Thomas says she was harassed online after being suspended by the WNBA | Basketball news

Mercury player Alyssa Thomas was suspended for the game after landing her punch on Caitlin Clark’s throat.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas has reportedly received death threats and called her a disgrace after she was suspended for one game after punching Caitlin Clark in the neck during last week’s WNBA game against Indiana.

Thomas also criticized WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not doing enough to protect the league’s players while speaking to reporters Tuesday at the team’s practice facility.

“It’s unfortunate that it has come down to basketball,” Thomas said.

“Many of us – myself included – didn’t even know this play happened until after the game. Now we’re being painted as criminals. There are death threats against us. It’s unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m sick and tired of it.”

Engelbert released a statement Tuesday night.

“The WNBA strongly opposes hate speech of any kind. The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always a top priority for the league,” Engelbert said.

“We know what Alyssa Thomas said, and what she and her teammates went through, is unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and are committed to protecting all players.”

Thomas called the play “a complete disaster”, but said his biggest concern was not being stopped. The six-time All-Star said he didn’t know he was being suspended until 10 minutes before the telecast.

“There’s not even a stop,” Thomas said. “If that’s what they think is important at the time, so be it, but I think there are a lot of other plays you can say the same about, the biggest one being our defense.

We are very concerned about security in the courtroom, but again and again, we have people threatening our lives.

The play occurred with 6:52 left in the second quarter in a game against Clark’s Indiana Fever on Wednesday and was deemed not a basketball game. The league gave Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty.

No fouls have been called in this game by the officials at this time. The WNBA is allowed to review the game to re-adjust a Serious Foul, or to reclassify it as any other Foul not previously called in the game.

“People are posting racial slurs and all kinds of things,” Thomas said. “There’s a difference between stomping, and there’s a difference between hate. The hate we’re dealing with in a game that, frankly, was an accident — nobody knew it happened. It’s sad. The league needs to do better on this.”

Thomas suspended him on Saturday, when the Mercury visited the Toronto Tempo.

The Fever renewed their call for player protection in a statement on Thursday.

The two teams played a few days before Thomas-Clark, and there were six fouls called and one out. Clark picked up his fifth skill of the season in the game. The team petitioned the league for a change, but the WNBA confirmed that the technology would stand.

“It was a foul. That you didn’t call it… You have to call it,” Fever coach Stephanie White said after the game. “You come here knowing what happened two nights ago, and the (expletive) is still happening?

The Mercury and Fever play again on July 9 in Phoenix.