Geno Auriemma says hard fouls on Caitlin Clark not a 'referendum on America' - ESPN

Geno Auriemma weighed in on Caitlin Clark and her standing in the WNBA, saying that on-court confrontations involving the Indiana Fever star should not be viewed as a «referendum on America.»

Auriemma offered a wide range of comments about Clark during a recent interview with the «Sports Media with Richard Deitsch» podcast. The longtime UConn women's basketball coach emphasized that he doesn't blame Clark for the attention she receives and noted that Clark's fanbase is responsible for much of the conversation around the former Iowa star.

«Because the bandwagon and the fandom became so obsessed with the whole thing, it turned into a cause,» Auriemma said. "[Clark] became the reason why white players get beat up in the WNBA and she became the reason why Black players don't get the endorsements and don't get the adulation that white players get.… Not every foul is a good foul. Not every foul's a bad foul, but there are fouls that are flagrant — but that's all they are. They are not a referendum on America, which is what the whole goddamn thing has become."

The debate over Clark's treatment from the WNBA and its officials has raged since last month, when Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension after she made contact with her fist to Clark's throat.

Thomas called the play a «complete accident,» but the WNBA ultimately ruled that the play was a flagrant foul. Fever coach Stephanie White bemoaned the way officials call opponents' physical play against Clark, saying at the time that "[Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called."

Auriemma countered that «every first-round draft pick gets fouled hard» and reiterated previous comments about Clark's impact on the WNBA, citing Larry