Former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart unleashed on Angel Reese after the Chicago Sky rookie blasted Caitlin Clark in the head with a flagrant foul on Sunday.
Reese tried to defend Clark late in the third quarter when the Indiana Fever star blew past her. It was a seemingly easy layup, until it wasn’t.
Reese swiped in the general vicinity of the ball but ended up clubbing her opponent in the side of the head. The blow sent Clark sprawling to the floor.
The blow to the head resulted in a foul call that was upgraded to a flagrant foul 1 after a video review.
Shocker. Angelo Reese and the Sky doing Angel Reese and Sky stuff. By the way Caitlin is cooking them. #caitlinclark pic.twitter.com/4qeWZLsiHZ
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 16, 2024
Matt Leinart Calls On WNBA To Suspend Angel Reese
There are two sides that fans are coming down on after viewing the flagrant foul by Angel Reese.
Those defending her and saying it’s just ‘hard basketball’. Those who actually watched the video can see she wasn’t within a country mile of blocking the shot.
Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart appears to be lining up on the side of those who think Reese’s actions were egregious.
“Angel Reese should be suspended. Period,” he wrote on social media. “Not good for the game.”
Reese’s fans quickly lashed out and described Leinart as “soft” for making the comment. But if you’re going to be a Bill Laimbeer wannabe as Reese is, people are going to start calling flagrant fouls and demanding suspensions.
Maybe the trick here is to be better at defending or blocking shots and then you won’t have to resort to a forearm club or off-ball hip-checks to try and beat your opponent.
RELATED: Angel Reese Takes Strong Anti-Paparazzi Stance, Claims Teammates ‘Harassed’
Reese Says Caitlin Clark Gets A Special Whistle
Angel Reese, in post-game comments, suggested that Clark was the beneficiary of a “special whistle” throughout the game.
And she was defiant over criticism for the flagrant foul.
“I can’t control the refs,” she said. “They affected the game a lot tonight. … I’m always going for the ball. But y’all going to play that clip 20 times before Monday.”
“Going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made,” added Reese. “I guess some people got a special whistle.”
Reese often loves to have it both ways. She wants to be championed for hard play on the court (even though it’s over-the-top contact) but then slinks back into the locker room to pout about the officiating.
Wants to be the villain, but wants sympathy as well.
Clark was very diplomatic in her response saying the foul by Angel Reese was “just part of basketball.”
So are suspensions for those who can’t control their emotions and take things out on their opponents. The league should be taking a closer look at the targeting taking place during Indiana Fever games before their number-one star is sidelined with a serious injury.
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