Sophie Cunningham Ejected, Criticizes WNBA Refs for Failing to Protect Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has publicly criticized WNBA referees for failing to protect her teammate Caitlin Clark, following a contentious game against the Connecticut Sun that saw Clark subjected to physical play and Cunningham ejected for a retaliatory flagrant foul. Cunningham and Fever head coach Stephanie White both attributed escalating on-court tensions to years of perceived inadequate officiating, specifically toward protecting star players like Clark. The incident, which included Clark being poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground, sparked a brawl resulting in multiple ejections and has reignited ongoing debate about the league's handling of player safety. While Cunningham defended her actions as necessary to protect her teammate, Sun coach Rachid Meziane criticized the hard foul as unnecessary given the game's outcome. The WNBA has since upgraded some fouls from the game, acknowledging officiating oversights. The controversy highlights growing scrutiny over how referees manage physicality and the treatment of high-profile players like Clark.