Caitlin Clark might be sitting on the sidelines, felled by a quadriceps injury that will keep her out at least two weeks.
But the Fever guard's name continues to line newspaper columns, social media feeds and everything in between.
The fallout from Clark's flagrant foul on Sky standout Angel Reese during their May 17 joust was predictably nuclear. Nearly two weeks on, the interaction remains on the forefront of many spectators' minds — so much so that rumors have emerged claiming that Clark is filing a lawsuit against ESPN and its longtime analyst, Monica McNutt.
Here's what you need to know about the baseless gossip that has found a home on social media as of late.
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Is Caitlin Clark suing Monica McNutt?
There is no evidence that Clark is suing McNutt. Rumors have swelled linking Clark with potential litigation against the veteran broadcaster, with some believing the Fever supernova has grounds to seek potential damages for defamation.
That doesn't appear to be the case, however. The whispers appear to revolve entirely around social media chatter — not one legal document has been filed against the former Georgetown star.
McNutt's comments drew ire among sections of social media. Clark's foul, while hard, was undoubtedly a basketball play. Reese's response was also understandable. The ensuing firestorm of comments that swept across social media became a talking point, both among members of the media and the league as a whole.
Those comments took on a similar tenor to ones delivered throughout Clark and Reese's first season. McNutt was vocal about her sentiments on the Clark-Reese "rivalry" throughout 2024. So her taking a similar stance in 2025 wasn't all that surprising.
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"Caitlin represented, and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her, because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she was a white girl from the middle of America,' McNutt told BBC's Katty Kay in March. 'And so she represented a whole lot to a lot of people, whether that is truly what she prescribed to or not.'
Regardless, that doesn't mean McNutt defamed Clark. Different states carry different anti-defamation statutes. But generally speaking, a plaintiff must prove four things, according to Cornell Law School:
- A false statement must purport to be a fact.
- A statement must be published or communicated to a third person.
- A statement must bring about fault amounting to at least negligence.
- A statement must bring about harm to the reputation of a person or entity who is subjected to the statement.
For public figures (like Clark), the threshold is higher. McNutt's remarks might've made some people upset. But they don't appear to meet the standard for defamation, at least not at first glance.
What did Monica McNutt say about Caitlin Clark?
McNutt appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" program on May 19 to discuss, among other things, Clark's foul on Reese.
MORE: Revisiting Monica McNutt's playing career at Georgetown
McNutt praised Clark and Reese for their competitive spirits. But she also claimed that the interaction would've been discussed differently had it been Reese clattering into Clark instead to the other way around.
"The fact that the WNBA has to put out a statement because of racist comments and unsafe conditions toward Angel Reese, I just want people to be mindful that whether you like it or not, any time something happens with the two of them, one is automatically put as a victim and one is automatically put as someone who needs to be saved," McNutt said.
.@McNuttMonica and @chiney share a message after Caitlin Clark's flagrant foul on Angel Reese in Sky-Fever. pic.twitter.com/ND4sLCexEF
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 19, 2025
"When in reality, both are excellent competitors. They both said this was a basketball play. Now let's be honest: If this was the other way around, oh lord, you can only imagine how the conversation would have gone."