"RELEASE THE TAPES PHEE": WNBA fans react as Cathy Engelbert explicitly denies Napheesa Collier's allegation of downplaying Caitlin Clark

Cathy Engelbert has denied the allegations made by Napheesa Collier about the WNBA commissioner devaluing Caitlin Clark's value to the league. In a brutal takedown of the commissioner on Tuesday, Collier claimed Engelbert said that Clark wouldn't have made the $16 million in off-court money if it weren't for the WNBA.

This was after Collier rooted for Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers to make more money than they are on their rookie deals, which is well shy of $100,000 annually.

On Friday, Engelbert addressed the media ahead of the WNBA finals regarding the Lynx superstar's allegations. She explicitly denied making comments on Clark, saying:

"Obviously, I did not make those comments. Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought tens of millions of fans to the game."

WNBA fans refused to buy Cathy Engelbert's response to Napheesa Collier's comment, pushing the Lynx superstar to take strict measures. They also mocked the commissioner with the following comments:

Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥

@VanshayM

RELEASE THE TAPES PHEE

MJ

@eMjAy_023

@VanshayM Whack her again Phee!

Jess

@FeverBandwagon

The use of “obviously” is very funny here

Emma Morgan

@Morgan19Emma

@PHEEsespieces doesn’t lie 💀 Cathy is just digging a deeper hole 🤣

Cancun Jazzy

@better_jazzy

Cathy is so full of sh*t, it took her 3 days to deny those statements

Abby Koval

@abbyklop

Phee has no reason to make up those comments

Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark addressed Napheesa Collier's claims on Thursday. The Indiana Fever superstar vouched for Collier's take on the players' demands. Clark revealed she wasn't aware of Cathy Engelbert's alleged views on her off-court earnings until Collier made their conversation public.

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Cathy Engelbert stands her ground, refuses to quit as WNBA commissioner after alleged comments on Caitlin Clark and other players

Collier made another claim during her explosive exit interview on Tuesday, alleging that Engelbert told her the players "should be on their knees" for the media rights deal she brought them. Engelbert didn't deny those comments, but said there was "inaccurate reporting" on the matter.

The league commissioner deviated from that claim, revealing that she's been in touch with Collier since. ESPN's Malika Andrews asked about the outrage among players, specifically targeting Engelbert and the league's leadership. The commissioner said she won't be quitting her job, contrary to reports.

"I've never been a quitter," Engelbert said. "I'm entering my 40th year ... in business. Never been a quitter, never shied away from making tough situations."

She assured the leadership would fix the issues the players complained about.

Most of the complaints have stemmed from the league-wide officiating issue. Almost every team has raised issues about the refereeing standards. Meanwhile, the WNBA hasn't done much to improve on it, slapping rigorous fines on coaches and players for public call-outs.

The ultimate complaint was made against Cathy Engelbert and the leadership itself, as the players believed the league set the officiating standards, not the referees.