{"id":903,"date":"2026-07-08T19:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=903"},"modified":"2026-07-08T19:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:49:55","slug":"gop-lawmakers-put-wnba-on-notice-protect-caitlin-clark-from-from-further-attacks-or-face-doj-eeoc-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=903","title":{"rendered":"GOP Lawmakers Put WNBA on Notice: Protect Caitlin Clark From From Further Attacks or Face DOJ, EEOC Crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>The House Republican Study Committee has put the Women\u2019s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on notice, warning the league in a letter that if it continues to tolerate \u201cunnecessary physical hostility and violence\u201d against Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on the court,\u00a0 the Department of Justice may be forced to step in.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=901\">Toyota Announces Nearly $4 Billion Expansion, 2,000 New Jobs at Texas Plant<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI led my colleagues in demanding accountability from WNBA Commissioner [Cathy] Engelbert after MULTIPLE attacks against Caitlin Clark, a player who is transforming women\u2019s sports and inspiring a new generation of young girls to participate in athletics,\u201d said Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-Texas) in a statement, Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m putting the league on notice that if it keeps letting the violent targeting slide, they could find themselves facing a DOJ and EEOC crackdown for violating federal civil rights law,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The Committee\u2019s letter highlighted specific incidents where Clark was hip-checked, poked in the eye, and punched in the throat, arguing that \u201cthe incidents go far beyond routine physical play\u201d and that officials have failed to hold the offending players sufficiently accountable.<\/p>\n<p>After the egregious June 24 throat punch incident, officials initially turned a blind eye, only penalizing Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury a day later\u2014 after a public outcry. Following the post-game review, the league classified the throat punch as a non-basketball act and a \u201ccheap shot,\u201d upgrading the initial no-call to a Flagrant 2 foul. Thomas received a one-day suspension and a $1,000 fine.<\/p>\n<div><iframe allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LndVUluWOkM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"750\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" title=\"Alyssa Thomas punch to Caitlin Clark\u2019s throat Fever vs Mercury #shorts #wnba #nba #caitlinclark\" width=\"422\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cRecently, a player even appeared to endorse violence against Clark in a social media post, fueling further concerns about the culture surrounding these incidents,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n<p>The Committee posed three key questions for response by July 24, 2026:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 What is the league\u2019s review mechanism for physical hostility and violence?<br \/>\n\u2022 How will the WNBA hold players accountable for overly aggressive actions?<br \/>\n\u2022 What steps are being taken to protect players from online harassment and off-court threats?<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers warned that the aggressive conduct could constitute discrimination or retaliation, creating a hostile work environment for Clark. In that case, the abuse could warrant an investigation by the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under federal civil rights laws, they said.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was cosigned by Reps. Erin Houchin (IN-09), Marlin Stutzman (IN-03), Victoria Spartz (IN-05), Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Sheri Biggs (SC-03), Tim Burchett (TN-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03), Mark Alford (MO-04), Pete Sessions (TX-17), and John Rose (TN-06).<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=899\">DOJ Warns States of Potential Criminal Penalties Over Noncitizen Voting Enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The members issued the following statements on the matter:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it were not for Caitlin Clark the WNBA would still be irrelevant and possibly even defunct. Caitlin, and every player, deserves to know that when they walk on the court they are protected from unnecessary physical hostility and violence. Commissioner Engelbert is responsible for the safety of the women in her league, she should act swiftly to keep them all protected from the thug-like violence Caitlin Clark has fallen victim to,\u201d said Rep. Marlin Stutzman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDiscrimination of any kind has no place in women\u2019s sports. The WNBA\u2019s failure to act on these concerning incidents shows an indifference, or active disregard, for civil rights protections. I look forward to receiving answers from Commissioner Engelbert,\u201d said Rep. Tim Burchett.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaitlin Clark has made Hoosiers proud and inspired countless young girls across the nation to believe they belong on the court. The WNBA has a responsibility to ensure every player competes in a fair and safe environment, and its actions\u2014not just its words\u2014must reflect that,\u201d said Rep. Victoria Spartz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaitlin Clark has done more to grow women\u2019s basketball than perhaps any athlete in the sport\u2019s history, inspiring young girls across East Tennessee and the country to pick up a basketball and dream big. But instead of protecting its biggest star, the WNBA has let repeated physical attacks against her go unanswered. Women athletes deserve fair and safe competition. Commissioner Engelbert has an obligation to get serious about accountability and it\u2019s time she finally does,\u201d said Rep. Diana Harshbarger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe very foundation of protecting women\u2019s sports means protecting the women who compete in them and preserving the integrity of fair competition. The WNBA\u2019s responsibility to ensure that physical play never crosses the line into reckless or unsafe behavior doesn\u2019t end at Caitlin Clark. It\u2019s not partisan and it\u2019s not controversial. The Commissioner must demonstrate that player safety is a top priority and that the rules will be enforced fairly and consistently for all WNBA athletes,\u201d said Rep. Sheri Biggs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaitlin Clark is one of West Des Moines\u2019 own, and she\u2019s a hero to millions of young girls \u2014 including my daughters. She carried women\u2019s basketball to new heights, and she\u2019s earned the right to compete without being unfairly punched, shoved, and targeted while the league that makes a billion dollars off her name looks the other way. Iowa has your back, keep the faith Caitlin!\u201d said Rep. Zach Nunn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a member of the Republican Study Committee, I was proud to sign onto this letter to the WNBA Commissioner. Caitlin Clark has transformed women\u2019s basketball and inspired a new generation, while getting hammered for it with no accountability. That\u2019s not competition, that\u2019s failure. Protect your players, enforce your rules, or don\u2019t be surprised when it raises serious federal civil rights questions,\u201d said RSC Messaging Task Force Chair Mark Alford.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally, some adults in the room,\u201d commented former collegiate swimmer, Riley Gaines, on X. \u201cThank you to these Republican Members of Congress for holding the WNBA<br \/>\naccountable on the disgusting treatment of Caitlin Clark. She\u2019s been the subject of targeted violence,\u201d the conservative activist added. \u201cProtect your athletes or stop pretending to care about women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/urbaneconomynews.com\/?p=897\">Trump Administration Reinstates Iran Oil Sanctions After Strait of Hormuz Attacks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The House Republican Study Committee has put the Women\u2019s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on notice, warning the league in a letter that if it continues\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GOP Lawmakers Put WNBA on Notice: Protect Caitlin Clark From From Further Attacks or Face DOJ, EEOC Crackdown - 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