Alyssa Thomas' suspension controversy is still fresh, but there is already another discussion happening about Caitlin Clark’s future in the league as the media personality thinks that the league needs to move beyond its top player.

On the YouTube channel Speakeasy, Emmanuel Acho, formerly a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles and now a media personality, expressed his stance on the issue.

"The WNBA would be better without Caitlin Clark, because she is a bigger distraction than she is an additive. Caitlin got the necessary eyes there, but now that the eyes are there, we don't necessarily need her anymore," Acho said on Speakeasy.

This is an argument difficult to reconcile with reality. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached by the league and the WNBPA was credited mainly to the success Clark achieved in terms of finance.

USA Network, competing far behind CBS and FOX, managed to get a million people watching the Fever vs. Toronto Tempo match on June 16, an achievement inconceivable without Clark’s arrival.

Acho didn't stop at his first point either. "Caitlin did what only Caitlin could do, and we don't necessarily need her to do anymore. Thank you, Caitlin; we can take it from here," Acho also said on Speakeasy.

The timing of those statements is important. They were made mere days after Alyssa Thomas delivered a punch to Clark's throat during Phoenix Mercury's 111-109 victory over Indiana in a game that was ultimately called a Flagrant Foul 2 by the WNBA.

Thomas was then suspended for a match and fined $1,000 because the league said that she had made contact recklessly with her fist in the throat area of Clark.

However, Acho's criticism of Clark did not end with her effect on the image of the league.

Emmanuel Acho Names Olivia Miles as the More Exciting Young Player Over Caitlin Clark

As the Thomas suspension grabbed most of the media attention, Acho took the opportunity of the Speakeasy show to raise another issue that will definitely create some controversy among the WNBA fans.

"I don't even think Caitlin Clark is the most exciting young WNBA player. There's one by the name of Olivia Miles who is wildly exciting right now. Sitting girls down, crossing girls up. Olivia Miles has been the more exciting player this season than Caitlin Clark," Acho said on Speakeasy.

The statistics provide him with solid evidence to prove his point. Miles is producing 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in each game for the Minnesota Lynx with a shooting percentage of 52.2 percent.

He went even further, arguing that recognition has everything to do with perception. "If Olivia Miles' last name was Clark, the whole world would be on fire," Acho added on the same show.

She has just broken the records for being the fastest to score 300 points and make 100 assists in league history, breaking the records that were previously owned by Clark and Paige Bueckers.

What is your view on Emmanuel Acho's statement regarding ‌Caitlin Clark in the WNBA? Share your opinion in the comments.

Read More at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta