During Friday night’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Golden State Valkyries, a bit of a rivalry seemed to develop between Caitlin Clark of the Fever and Tiffany Hayes of the Valkyries. Now, Hayes is drawing some strong criticism for what she posted on social media.
Clark and Hayes got into a heated exchange on the court, and that feud extended to the postgame press conference when a hot mic caught Hayes’ candid comments about Clark. Hayes then seemed to keep the fire going on social media, but fans were not exactly pleased with some of the things she posted.
Clark vs. Hayes
Late in the third quarter of Friday night’s matchup, Clark drilled a deep three from the logo to even the score at 48. As soon as the shot dropped, Clark walked toward Hayes and had some strong words for her.
Although it’s unclear what exactly Clark said, Hayes clearly took exception and responded immediately with some trash talk of her own. While getting back on defense, Clark gestured back and forth between herself and Hayes, seemingly making it clear that the matchup between the two had become personal for the remainder of the contest.
After the game, which the Fever won by a final score of 90-82, Hayes let her frustration show ahead of her postgame press conference as microphones picked up Hayes criticizing the referees for the way they officiated Clark.
“They’re never going to start calling the fouls on her,” Hayes said in comments picked up by a nearby hot mic. “If they did, she would never get to play the game.”
Hayes Takes to Social Media
Hayes continued her frustration on social media, where she interacted with several fans, “liking” some controversial posts and responding to a few more.
In some screenshots that have since gone viral on X, Hayes can be seen responding to several fans offering their support through her feud with Clark.
At one point, Hayes appeared to condone a fan who vaguely threatened violence against Clark.
“Listen. I got some cousins we don’t speak about that will ride at dawn upon request. Just let me know,” the fan wrote.
“That’s real,” Hayes responded, with a laughing emoji.
Fans Outraged
Needless to say, fans were not at all happy about Hayes’ social media antics.
“This is sad but not surprising,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“There’s a fine line drawn between jokes about players skill/criticisms of their play versus this. It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke, some things you just DO NOT do in sports and this is one of them,” someone else added.
“This is not a good look guys,” another fan said.
“Responding like that to a threat is crazy,” someone else wrote.
“Idk why she thinks this is okay,” another fan added.
“This is a serious calling for violence and should be held accountable. Even if the player herself is not the author of a violent action, the people interacting with her could. The world today is not to be taken as a joke,” someone else said.
“So [freaking] disgusting,” another fan wrote.
This will certainly make Thursday’s rematch between the Fever and the Valkyries a bit more interesting.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.