"That animosity is her own doing": Former NFL No. 1 pick blames Caitlin Clark for facing brutal physicality from WNBA rivals 

Former NFL No. 1 pick Keyshawn Johnson has blamed Caitlin Clark for the "animosity" she attracts in the WNBA. While discussing Clark facing brutal physicality while playing in the aftermath of Tuesday's tense game against Marina Mabrey and the Sun, Johnson and Paul Pierce debated why Clark gets fouled more.

Pierce seemingly believed that Clark didn't warrant such treatment, and she was facing it because of "animosity" towards her as the face of the WNBA despite being a rookie. Johnson shot down that notion, claiming Clark was responsible for what she's faced on the court.

"She's got some arrogance to her and swag to her," Johnson said on Thursday's episode of Fox Sports show "Speak". "Look, last year they beat her up a little bit ... I don't necessarily know if it was just the face of the league or they were doing it from an intimidation standpoint 'cause they knew eventually she would be good and they wanted to just send the message. "It's just carrying over this year, that's all it is. Look, that's the way they play. They're more physical than they were in the past, so that's what it is ... That animosity, though, some of that is her own doing."

While Caitlin Clark has faced some hard fouls, many people, including Keyshawn Johnson, believe that she invites trouble because of her "attitude" and trash-talking.

However, the argument Paul Pierce and others make is that Clark's actions are within limits. It's generally her playing well, which annoys her opponents, leading to on-court dust-ups.

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Stephen A. Smith also thinks Caitlin Clark instigates resentment

Keyshawn Johnson's ex-ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith, also thinks Caitlin Clark is responsible for the resentment she gets in the WNBA. Smith cited the infamous situation between Clark and Angel Reese during the 2023 Women's National Championship game when the former LSU star waved back at her Iowa counterpart.

"There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her sometimes," Smith said on Wednesday's "First Take" episode. "The whole Angel Reese thing with her started because when Caitlin was giving it to everybody else, she was the one waving in their face."

Many were critical of Clark at the time, but the reality was that the incident was unwarranted, considering she made that gesture towards one of her Iowa coaches, not her opponents. Everyone initially believed Clark disrespected her opponents with that celebration, but that wasn't the case.

Edited by Arhaan Raje