Caitlin Clark has been on fire in 2024 but, so have her emotions on many occasions. The rookie’s hasty expression of frustration during games landed her in trouble with the refs, getting 6 technical fouls during the regular season. One more and the Indiana Fever Guard would’ve received a one-match ban if it wasn’t for her teammates, aka, the “de-escalation committee”.

After Clark’s 6th technical against the Aces, with two regular-season games to go, freelance photographer Bri Lewerke made a hilarious Instagram post. It was a carousel of CC’s Indiana teammates working “overtime,” as Aliyah Boston termed it, to calm the rookie down in different stages of the season. The “de-escalation committee” name in the caption stuck and is now making for some hilarity.

Ahead of the WNBA playoffs, Indiana Forward Katie Lou Samuelson was asked about this trending topic. The 6th-year veteran immediately let out a chuckle, replying, “She’s a kid sometimes and keeps everything light, but sometimes, you just gotta put her in her place.” This is all the more funny from Samuelson’s perspective because Clark is the new kid she has to take care of on-court, in addition to her 1-year-old daughter, Aliya.

The ex-UConn star added, saying, “If we can keep her from getting technicals, that is always a positive. We made it through without getting to 7… that was our goal as a group, and we did it. She’s just always tripping, but she knows it too. So it’s easy to laugh about it.”

Clark was lucky to not join the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud, and the Dallas Wings’ Teaira McCowan, who got 1-game suspensions for reaching the 7 technical fouls mark. That’s how big a role the Indiana veterans have played to ensure smooth sailing for Clark. Their post-game comments have been on point as well, avoiding any off-court trouble.

Erica Wheeler & Christie Sides sidestep controversies in honest Caitlin Clark admission

Caitlin Clark wasn’t happy with the quality of refereeing after getting her 6th technical foul. In a post-game press conference, she criticized the refs, saying, “One was a complete accident, and then the other two were just a little frustration with myself. So, I think I could have done a better job keeping my emotions in check, but at the same time, like, … really?”

However, coach Christie Sides was quick to take a different route and shoulder responsibility for the fouls instead of blaming it on the refs. “We’ve got to handle those things. Those guys (refs) aren’t going to be perfect. We’re not perfect, but I think we’ve lost some time with that frustration,” she said.

Indiana Fever Guard Erica Wheeler also did the same in another interview. She diplomatically dodged commenting on the referee calls. “I deescalate a lot of things around here, man,” Wheeler said. “She’s (Clark) passionate about the game. The ref is the ref. I’m not going to talk about it because I don’t want to get fined.”

With the technical foul trouble not carrying into the playoffs, Indiana will be confident facing off in the best-of-3 series against the Connecticut Sun, starting September 22. Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking spree will continue with the franchise eyeing their best result in 8 years.