Caitlin Clark Fans Attack Jacy Sheldon On Social Media After Spirited Exchange During Recent WNBA Game
Tensions began to rise between former Ohio State star Jacy Sheldon and Caitlin Clark during their recent WNBA matchup on June 17.
During a later part of the game, Sheldon got into another heated altercation with Clark's Indiana Fever teammate, Sophie Cunningham, who was later ejected from the game for grabbing Sheldon's neck after a hard foul.
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All of this led Caitlin Clark fans to flood Sheldon's Instagram page with vicious comments only weeks after the WNBA announced their new initiative designed to combat online bullying, "No Space For Hate."
What Happened Between Caitlin Clark And The Connecticut Sun?
With about nine minutes left in the second quarter of the Fever's most recent game against the Connecticut Sun, a clip of Sheldon and Clark getting chippy went viral online.
After Clark pushed her former Big Ten rival away, another Sun player, Marina Mabrey, intervened, giving Clark a shove of her own.
But the physicality didn't stop there. In the third quarter, things escalated after Sheldon poked Clark in the eye while defending the Iowa native tightly.
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Clark snapped back, giving Sheldon another shove before Mabrey once again entered the frame, pushing Clark to the ground.
Later in the game, Cunningham also got involved in the fracas, committing a hard foul on Sheldon and pulling her to the ground as Sheldon was attempting a breakaway layup.
Cunningham and Sheldon then got into a fierce shoving match, resulting in Cunningham being assessed a flagrant-2 foul and both players being ejected from the contest.
In clips online, fans inside Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse can be heard chanting Cunningham's name, seemingly approving of her actions.
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And that sentiment carried over onto social media, where Sheldon's Instagram comments were later flooded with vicious remarks from Clark fans.
Sheldon's Social Media Comments Are Filled With Hate
One user wrote, "Girls been jealous of Clark for 6 years," while another chimed in to call the Columbus, Ohio, native a "thug."
"You deserved what you got," that same user added.
A third commenter posted, "Congratulations — nobody knew who you [were] an hour ago, and now everybody hates you."
"[Your] unprofessional, bitter, jealous, [and] don't deserve to be in any professional league," a fourth Clark defender wrote. "Get some help. Seems like [you] need it. [You're] always angry and physically hurting players on the court. Learn some basic basketball skills."
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Yet another added, "I wish Clark would have knock[ed] you AND Mabrey out!! Someone needs to!!! Stupid M Fs!!"
Fans Call For Mabrey To Be Suspended After Shoving Caitlin Clark
A day after her team's contest against the Fever, the WNBA announced it was upgrading Marina Mabrey's technical foul to a flagrant-2, an infraction that comes with a $400 fine.
On X, formerly Twitter, Dave Portnoy, 48, one of Clark's (23) most loyal and passionate fans, slammed Mabrey and called for the WNBA to expel her from the league.
In another post, he wrote, "Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league? Just a common tech? Sick league @WNBA."
Caitlin Clark Fans Attack Sheldon After The League Announces 'No Space For Hate' Campaign
The onslaught of negative comments Sheldon has received across social media platforms following her contentious on-court interactions with Clark and Cunningham comes weeks after the WNBA announced its new initiative, "No Space For Hate," designed to combat harmful discourse directed toward players online.
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The campaign takes a "comprehensive approach" with increased emphasis on security measures and mental health resources, and is powered by a task force of league and team representatives. It's also backed by the WNBPA (the Women's National Basketball Players Association).
'No Space For Hate' Is Supposed To Protect Players
"As the WNBA continues to grow in popularity and influence, we're proud to launch 'No Space for Hate, ' a league-wide initiative to better protect players, preserve the spirit of the game, and affirm the values of our league. We believe that basketball can be a unifying force, a place where people from all walks of life come together not just to watch a game, but to connect," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
She continued, "We want our arenas and our social platforms filled with energy and fandom, not hate and vitriol. That means turning our values into action: strengthening digital and physical security, expanding access to mental health resources, and unifying our message across the league. It's our responsibility to protect what makes this sport so special and ensure we continue to inspire the next generation of women's basketball fans."
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