Sophie Cunningham Trashes Referees For Not Protecting The League’s Biggest Star, Caitlin Clark

Grab your popcorn because Sophie Cunningham just went OFF about the WNBA and the referees not protecting Caitlin Clark, the league’s biggest star. She didn’t hold back in her criticism, calling out the lack of protection for Clark and the unfair treatment by the referees.

It’s like she lit a fire under the whole debate about player safety and the role of officials in the game.

Speaking to reporters at Saturday’s practice, Cunningham didn’t back down. Instead, she put the blame squarely on the officiating crew.

“I’m not focused on the extracurricular activities,” she said. “During that game, it was just part of what’s been building up. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. For a couple of years now, they’ve just not been protecting the star player of the WNBA.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates. That’s what I do. I’m a team player, and it’s all good.”

Fever head coach Stephanie White echoed Cunningham’s frustrations, stating the officials “lost control of the game” and that the staff saw the signs early.

“We knew this was going to happen,” White said. “From the first quarter, you could feel it coming.”

Sun head coach Rachid Meziane, however, had no sympathy for Cunningham’s actions. With the game already out of reach, he called her foul unnecessary and reckless.

“I did not understand,” Meziane said. “When you are winning the game by 17 points and you are doing this — to me, that’s a stupid foul.”

Video footage that surfaced after the game showed Cunningham attempting to run onto the court during the earlier scuffle involving Clark and Sheldon. She was intercepted and restrained by assistant coach Austin Kelly before things escalated further.

Cunningham was later fined by the league for her role in the incident. Mabrey’s technical foul for the hip-check on Clark was upgraded to a flagrant 2, which also carried a fine.

Whether you agree with Cunningham or not, you can’t deny that she’s got some valid points. The WNBA has a responsibility to protect its star players, and it’s clear that Cunningham thinks they’re dropping the ball on that front.

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