"Be a friend, tell a friend something nice": NBA refs use Pat McAfee's rant on Caitlin Clark calls to address official abuse

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday got off to a surprisingly rocky start. She was benched before five minutes went off the clock due to two quick fouls. The No. 1 pick of this year’s draft ended the period without a point after missing all three of her attempts.

The two fouls called by referee Isaac Barnett earned the ire of former NFL player Pat McAfee who now hosts a highly popular show. McAfee didn’t hold back in his criticism of Barnett and furiously called him a “little, rat-b***ard, piece of s**t.”

The former Indianapolis Colts star accused the referee of making the game “all about himself.”

Barnett’s colleagues didn’t like the way one of their own was ridiculed on the “Pat McAfee Show” and wrote a long message on X, formerly Twitter:

“Critiquing decisions, performance, and execution is all part of sport conversation. Regardless of the accuracy of the two foul calls referenced, making remarks about the individual referee only exacerbates the issue of violence against sports officials.

“Be a friend, tell a friend something nice, it might change their life!”

Isaac Barnett has been with the WNBA since 2016 and with the G League since 2013. He got the assignment to officiate perhaps the most highly anticipated game in the women’s pro game this season.

The Fever-Sun showdown wasn’t just an ordinary matchup, as it featured Caitlin Clark, the player who is followed by a circus of fans. Connecticut’s home game was sold out for the first time since 2003 because she was in town.

Pat McAfee blasted Barnett for allegedly making the game about himself and not about Clark and the players.

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Pat McAfee insists Caitlin Clark did quite well after the alleged phantom calls

Eventually, Caitlin Clark had a 20-point, three-assist and two-steal debut in roughly 33 minutes.

The glaring number in her box score was the 10 turnovers, which was the most for a player's first WNBA game. It will be a record that will likely be brought up from time to time by her detractors.

Pat McAfee had a different take on Clark’s first game in pro basketball:

“She was three shots away from having 30 (points) in her debut (and) most 3-point shots made in history of the WNBA in a debut performance. … She has enough speed. She has enough intelligence, and she has enough ability.”

McAfee also noted how Caitlin Clark missed a couple of step-back 3s that were almost in and a runner that rimmed out. Had she made them, he was certain that the narrative about her debut would have been significantly positive.

For the former Colts kickoff specialist, Clark did quite well despite the uneven start and is confident she will figure out things quickly.

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