Dave Portnoy tears into ‘cowards’ as Caitlin Clark | Sports News

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy branded the Phoenix Mercury as “cowards” after the WNBA group’s social media account took down a post that many interpreted as taking purpose at Caitlin Clark.

With roughly seven minutes left within the second quarter of the Mercury’s 111-109 victory over the Fever on Wednesday, Clark — who was handed a main Indy 500 function final month — tumbled to the ground whereas driving towards the basket. As the star guard tried to move from her place on the ground, Phoenix ahead Alyssa Thomas lunged for the free ball earlier than making contact together with her fist towards Clark’s neck space.

While referees initially ruled no foul occurred during the sequence, the WNBA imposed penalties on Thomas the next day — a Flagrant Foul 2 designation, one-game suspension, and $1,000 wonderful for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area of Caitlin Clark.”

Following their controversial triumph, the Mercury posted a celebratory stick-figure illustration of DeWanna Bonner on social media, persevering with a custom of sharing comparable sketches after victories all through the 2026 season.

The cartoon depicted Bonner sprawled on the court docket beneath a speech bubble stating: “De-Wanna piece of this?!?” The image appeared to reference the 38-year-old’s emphatic and-one play, the place she emphatically celebrated after changing a layup whereas drawing a foul during the second quarter.

However, quite a few WNBA supporters condemned the post as “tasteless,” contending it was inappropriate given the circumstances surrounding Thomas’ foul towards Clark. “To the tasteless Phoenix Mercury … hope you lose all your remaining games,” one X consumer declared, whereas one other said: “Disband and investigate the Phoenix Mercury. They are a criminal organization.”

In mild of the backlash the illustration generated, the Mercury promptly eliminated the post “to avoid further misinterpretation,” in keeping with an insider who spoke with USA Today Sports.

Portnoy — an avid Fever and Clark fan — ruthlessly slammed the Mercury for quietly deleting the image, writing: “Breaking: The cowards at @PhoenixMercury deleted the post making fun of CC getting throat punched by Alyssa Thomas. If you’re gonna ruin the golden goose at least stand by it. COWARDS DELETED.”

In a separate post, Portnoy sarcastically advised one other punishment that the WNBA ought to’ve handed down to Thomas. “She should have to fly commercial the rest of the season,” he declared.

During Wednesday’s postgame media availability, Fever head coach Stephanie White made her frustration evident in regards to the officers’ instant determination to not call a foul on Thomas. “It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it,” she said.

Addressing Thomas’ subsequent suspension and accompanying penalties, Fever group president Kelly Krauskopf launched an official assertion declaring: “Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday.”