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The Indiana Fever<\/a> could be reprimanded for waiting to announce guard Caitlin Clark<\/a> (back) would miss Wednesday’s home game against the Portland Fire minutes before tip-off.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yahoo Sports shared Thursday morning that the Fever may have violated WNBA<\/a> rules on Wednesday night. Per league rules, player availability must be submitted by 5 p.m. local time the day before a game, except during back-to-backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Clark didn’t practice on Tuesday but wasn’t listed on the injury report. The Fever waited 100 minutes until Wednesday’s tip-off at 7 p.m. ET to reveal the guard was out.\u00a0<\/p>\n ESPN’s Alexa Philippou noted that the league could “take a look at” this, given there was no indication that Clark wouldn’t play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Before the Fever’s 90-73 win over the Fire, White said<\/a> Clark woke up with soreness and stiffness in her back. She then added that the team didn’t sit her because of load management.\u00a0<\/p>\n “No, absolutely not,” White said. “There’s no managing. She’s healthy. We’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked in a postgame news conference if Clark is injured, White said<\/a>, “Her back is sore. If there’s anything more detailed than that, that’s [for] the training staff [to address].”\u00a0<\/p>\n White said she doesn’t expect Clark’s back to become a bigger issue but acknowledged she’s “not a doctor,” so she “[doesn’t] know.” The coach then said she doesn’t expect the Fever to be fined for the injury reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report,” the coach said. “That happens all the time. And she wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play.”<\/p>\n The Fever would have to pay a fine if the league punished them for the handling of this situation. The Las Vegas Aces<\/a> were fined an undisclosed amount for not listing center A’ja Wilson on the injury report the day before a game against the New York Liberty<\/a> on Sept. 8, 2024 (via USA Today’s Callie Fin<\/a>). Wilson arrived at the matchup in a medical boot.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s too soon to know if the Fever will face the same punishment. If the league does launch an investigation, expect it to be thorough.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhat did Fever coach Stephanie White say about Caitlin Clark’s injury?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
What punishment could the Fever face if investigated?\u00a0<\/h2>\n