Pat McAfee Praises Sophie Cunningham For Standing Up for Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Liz Lindain | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 3:36 PM ET

Things got intense during Tuesday's game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun.

Though the Fever won with a final score of 88-71, a physical altercation between Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Suns guards Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey was one of the main highlights of the game.

During the third quarter, Clark took possession of the ball and dribbled over the 3-point line near the free-throw line while Sheldon guarded her closely. Then, Sheldon reached up and poked Clark in the eye with her right hand, which caused the Iowa alum to react. Sheldon bumped Clark, and Clark shoved her away. Then, Mabrey pushed Clark to the ground.

Many referees, coaches and players from both teams ran toward Clark, Sheldon and Mabrey to diffuse the situation. Cameras caught Fever guard Sophie Cunningham attempting to run to the action, but coach Austin Kelly held her back.

The Clark, Sheldon and Mabrey incident wasn't the only altercation that happened on Tuesday evening. Later in the game, Cunningham was ejected after a physical fight with Sheldon.

When Sheldon went in for a fast-break layup attempt, Cunningham pulled her to the ground. Sheldon and teammate Lindsay Allen both went after Cunningham immediately, and the fight pushed into the first row of courtside seating as referees and players from both teams intervened.

Cunningham, who committed a flagrant foul 2, is now facing further punishment from the league for her actions. According to the WNBA rulebook, a flagrant foul 2 is defined as "unnecessary and excessive contact" that warrants an immediate ejection from the game.

Many fans and sports analysts have praised Cunningham for standing up for her friend and teammate. For instance, Pat McAfee talked about the situation on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" and praised the Mizzou alum for her actions. The host also pointed out that WNBA athletes bullying Clark was not new and has been an issue since her rookie season. He posted the clip to his official social media account.

"Sophie Cunningham is ready to fight people for messing with Caitlin Clark, because it feels like Caitlin Clark is going to be treated a certain way in this league for a long time," McAfee said. "Last year, and I think something we noticed, and I think a lot of people noticed is, when Caitlin would get bullied, nobody would do nothing ... Teammates weren't jumping in there. Then they bring in Sophie Cunningham, who was a black belt by the age of six."

The 28-year-old athlete was involved in a four-team trade involving the Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings, the Sun and the Fever in late January.