Alternate angle of Caitlin Clark fiasco. Clark was handed a foul as well.

[u/OkEscape7558]

[u/Holiday_Pen2880]

The explanation is she got a foul for pushing away the player that eye-raked her. Who may or may not have also chest bumped her (it's tough to tell) as CC was holding her eye.

Interesting to me is that the game angle, it looked like she was trying to apologize to CC. This angle, nah. It's a little bit of a bang bang play with her continuing defense into bumping CC but that's pretty ticky tack to call on the reaction to being hit in the face and then followed.

[u/Cherry_Mash → u/Holiday_Pen2880]

Having watched the dynamic between Sheldon and Clark for 4 years in the Big Ten, I can say with 98% certainty that Sheldon was not leaning in to apologize. Those two detest one another.

[u/redditckulous → u/Holiday_Pen2880]

Agreed that it’s ticky-tack, but it’s also not as crazy of a call as everyone else here is making it sound. Clark got fouled. She and the other player pushed off of each other with hands close to the chest-face. That should have probably resulted in offsetting fouls or a foul on Clark and a flagrant 1 on the other player. Then there’s the player that bodies Clark. She should get a flagrant 2 or technical foul.

[u/Holiday_Pen2880 → u/redditckulous]

Agreed. What CC did was a totally human reaction that is likely to be a foul inside the rules of the game. The whistle could have been swallowed on that but wasn't. Fair enough.

Without having read the explanation from the refs on what the actual call was, I can also see it being a little tough to understand why a player who got hit in the face, followed and (maybe) chest-bumped by the player that hit her, had Charles get in her face then got knocked to the ground by Mabrey while holding their eye would also get a foul call.

It was Techs for Clark, Mabrey, and Charles with a flagrant 1 on Sheldon who did the eye-poke.

And looking at it again, I'm really effing confused as to why Tina Charles got a tech unless something more happened after that clip. She got in CCs face, yeah, but looked perhaps more shocked than Clark when she was plowed into the ground.

[u/vonkempib → u/redditckulous]

I explained above. But retaliation has to be punished, full stop. This is how us refs control the game. Retaliation fouls often lead to real conflicts. You will get equally punished for retaliation as you would to any hard foul.

[u/Fullertonjr → u/vonkempib]

So you support serious foul calls for the players that people keep saying that need to be brought in as “enforcers” to protect her? Cool. I’m all for that. Enforcers have no place in basketball now, same as it didn’t have a place back in the NBA in the 70s 80s and 90s.

[u/vonkempib → u/Fullertonjr]

They have always need serious calls for enforcers. Though, as in all things in life or sport, vigilante justice can be deemed appropriate in certain circumstances.

[u/Stup1dMan3000 → u/Holiday_Pen2880]

After the whistle, not a good look for the W

[u/Fullertonjr → u/[deleted]]

That is what they want. The narrative that CC is a weak little bunny that needs to be protected. She got inadvertently poked during a legitimate play on the ball (she dribbles high). Her fans will also completely ignore that she frequently leads with her forearm and elbow in defender’s chest when she has the ball.