‘Cannot keep their lies straight’: Criticism mounts over Caitlin Clark injury situation
· Yahoo Sports
Less than two hours ahead of Wednesday’s showdown between the Indiana Fever and the Portland Fire, Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was abruptly ruled out with an injury. Now, Fever head coach Stephanie White is taking some criticism for the way the organization has handled the injury.
Before the game, White told reporters that Clark had been ruled out of Wednesday evening’s game as a result of soreness in her back.
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“Just woke up with some stiffness and some soreness,” White said during the press conference. “For us, it’s not the time to take a chance. We just really want to be cautious.”
White was then asked whether or not there was any long-term concern for Clark’s health. She initially said there was no concern, but later clarified that she isn’t totally sure, given she is not the one diagnosing or managing Clark’s health.
“I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know,” White said.
Unclear Injury Timeline
Despite White’s claims that Clark simply “woke up” with soreness in her back, she also said that the Fever superstar did not practice on Tuesday and was instead getting treatment and going through workouts after practice. White went on to claim that Clark was healthy, but, conflictingly, said that she was “absolutely not” sitting out due to load management.
“She’s healthy,” White said via ESPN. “We’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.”
Clark has dealt with some back issues throughout the season, which she has spoken about during her media sessions.
During Indiana’s season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings, Clark was seen going back into the tunnel twice to get her back worked on. She said after the game that her back “gets out of line pretty quickly” and that her trips off the floor were to “get my back put back in place a little bit” and “adjusted.”
Criticism Mounts for the Fever
The bizarre and inconsistent messaging surrounding Clark’s injury and her status moving forward led to a lot of criticism online. Fans expressed frustration that White and the Fever were not exactly forthcoming about Clark’s status for Wednesday night’s game. Some fans went as far as to claim that the Fever were outright lying to the media.
Some fans even suggested that Clark’s absence from the lineup could actually be related to a heated exchange with a coach on the bench that was caught by cameras.
Regardless, it led to a lot of reactions from fans.
“It’s strategic management. I mean we aren’t managing anything. She’s healthy but she’s not playing. Fever literally cannot keep their lies straight. It’s sad,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“This is embarrassing,” another fan wrote in a post.
“Sound fishy. Like she ditched defense drills and she’s being punished and they don’t want to escalate the gossip about whatever happened on the bench the other night,” a fan theorized.
“Two things can’t be true at the same time. Either she’s healthy or she has a back issue,” someone else wrote.
“Is she healthy or is there a back issue? Can’t be both,” another fan added.
“This is frustrating. They say shes healthy but then pull her last minute for a back issue. Fans bought tickets expecting to see her play. Why not give a clear update earlier? Coach needs to protect her but this feels messy. What do you all think they should do with her minutes going forward?” someone else wrote.
“And they still waited a hour and the half before game starts to tell us?” a fan pondered.
Needless to say, fans are not happy with the way the Fever handled this situation.
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