GOP chairman says WNBA response on Caitlin Clark ‘falls short,’ keeps ‘every option on the table’

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, speaks with OutKick about his congressional letter questioning the WNBA’s handling of Caitlin Clark and player safety, one day before Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent the league’s formal response to lawmakers.

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, says the WNBA’s response to congressional concerns about Caitlin Clark’s treatment "falls short" and warned that lawmakers will keep "every option on the table" as they continue pressing the league for answers.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded on July 24 to a letter from Pfluger and 10 other House Republicans who questioned whether the league had adequately protected Clark and held opposing players accountable for overly physical conduct.

In the two-page response obtained exclusively by OutKick, Engelbert said the WNBA’s "top priority is the health, safety, and well-being of every player in our league, including Caitlin Clark."

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS PRESS WNBA COMMISSIONER CATHY ENGELBERT TO PROTECT CAITLIN CLARK

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark tries to defend herself during a loose ball scramble while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas stands over her. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

In the response, the commissioner outlined the league’s standard procedures for reviewing officiating and potentially dangerous play but did not address any of the Clark-related incidents cited by the lawmakers individually.

"The WNBA’s response falls short of what we asked for, unsurprisingly," Pfluger told OutKick in a statement. "We didn’t request a description of the league’s general officiating and disciplinary procedures, we asked how those procedures have actually been applied in