Adam Silver's blunt Caitlin Clark comments leave WNBA boss Cathy Engelbert in the hot seat

Adam Silver's comments on Caitlin Clark highlight a glaring leadership void in how WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert manages the situation.

Caitlin Clark has remained at the center of the WNBA conversation this season, though this year, more than ever, things have been magnified. After Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas made contact with her first to Clark's throat, leading to a one-game suspension, reports surfaced that WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert initially leaned toward not handing down any discipline for the play. The same report, from Sports Business Journal's Tom Friend, cited that Adam Silver stepped in, which helped lead to the one-game suspension.

"Sources familiar with the situation said Engelbert initially believed during the evaluation process that -- because no foul was called on the court against Thomas -- a follow-up suspension seemed too steep of a discipline," Friend wrote. "Meanwhile, those same sources said Silver believed there was clear evidence of a flagrant foul, that he felt badly for Clark and told Engelbert she had to act. "A