Fever coach Stephanie White waves off WNBA’s injury reporting warning: ‘For what?’
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White scoffed at the league’s warning for violating its injury report protocol. The Fever were warned Thursday, and White was asked for her reaction Friday during her pregame news conference before playing the Golden State Valkyries. “My reaction is: ‘For what?
’” White said. Asked to elaborate, White added: “Because we did things the right way. ” Fever guard Caitlin Clark was ruled out of Wednesday’s win over the Portland Fire due to a back injury.
The announcement came 100 minutes before tipoff. However, Clark did not appear on the injury report Tuesday despite not practicing, or earlier Wednesday when she woke up with a sore back. The WNBA requires teams to submit an injury report at 5 p.
m. local time the day before a game. The report “must designate a participation status and identify a specific injury, illness, other medical condition, or other reason for any player whose participation in the game may be affected for any reason,” per league rules.
On game days, teams can begin submitting their injury reports at midnight and are required to update them every 15 minutes leading up to tipoff. The Fever did not adhere to those guidelines, which the WNBA deemed a clear violation of its rules. White often has been tight-lipped regarding her players’ injuries and repeatedly defers questions to the medical staff, which isn’t allowed to speak publicly about players’ health.