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After coming up short against the New York Liberty on Saturday, the Indiana Fever announced that Caitlin Clark would be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks.
According to a statement released by the team on Monday, Clark suffered a left quadriceps strain that will force her to the sidelines amid a busy start to the season that sees Indiana play its first six games over 14 days.
In response, former ESPN writer Jason Whitlock was quick to weigh in on his show, Fearless with Jason Whitlock. The way he sees things, WNBA players are going to be happy that Clark is out:
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"This two week absence is going to be interesting because a lot of eyeballs are going to disappear from the WNBA and I think a lot of the WNBA players are going to be happy they got the whatever's left of the spotlight all to themselves.
"This is a return to normaly and sanity for the WNBA they're going to celebrate that they get to go perform in front of an audience that they're comfortable with."
Segment begins just before the 12-minute mark in the video below.
As Whitlock went on to explain, WNBA players don't necessarily hate Caitlin Clark, they hate her fans, and according to him, WNBA players have been trying to demonize Clark's fans.
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White stresses the importance of playing the long-game approach with Caitlin Clark's injury
After the Indiana Fever returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the team's front office went to work this past summer, bolstering their roster for the season ahead.
While the team just got veteran guard Sophie Cunningham back in action, it is now forced to deal with the absence of Caitlin Clark.
While speaking with members of the press on Monday after practice, Fever coach Stephanie White spoke about the situation, stressing the importance of looking at the remainder of the team's season, and not just the next two weeks.
Much like she stated when it came to Cunningham's health, White has no intentions of rushing Clark's return despite the Fever's busy schedule, and their championship aspirations.
While White said that Caitlin Clark is a competitor and wants to play, she said, as per the New York Times:
"For me, it’s maintaining perspective. It’s making sure that we address this in a way that doesn’t affect (her) long term. Don’t over-push, don’t overexert. Making sure that we take the long-game approach to this so that we’re not having lingering issues throughout the course of the season.”
The Fever will be back in action on Wednesday when they collide with the Washington Mystics.
