BREAKING INVESTIGATION: “They Paid Us to Break Caitlin” — Inside the WNBA’s Darkest Scandal Yet
What began as an on-court rivalry has exploded into what might be the biggest scandal in WNBA history. Two recently banned players—Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey—have stepped forward with explosive claims: that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert directly orchestrated a plan to neutralize Caitlin Clark, the league’s most-watched rising star.
And it wasn’t just verbal. It was financial. It was strategic. It was, allegedly, a conspiracy.
“We weren’t just told to be aggressive,” Sheldon confessed in a leaked phone recording. “We were paid. They wanted Caitlin out. They said she was ‘too big, too fast.’ They needed her controlled.”
The allegations have sent shockwaves through the sports world.
A League of Shadows
According to Sheldon and Mabrey, meetings were held off the record, away from team facilities. “They didn’t want anything traceable. Just whispered promises and cash offers under the radar,” said Mabrey.
The duo claim that Engelbert personally approved the plan, fearing that Caitlin Clark’s rapid ascent was destabilizing the league’s power structure—drawing attention and brand money away from other legacy stars and team-sponsored narratives.
Insiders say concerns were raised when Clark’s jersey outsold every other WNBA player combined during her rookie month. Social media engagement around her alone surpassed total league metrics in the prior year. To some, it was a renaissance. To others—it was a threat.
“They saw her as a problem,” said an anonymous front office staffer from an Eastern Conference team. “She was changing the balance. The league wasn’t ready for what she represented.”
The Role of the Referees
The most disturbing part of Sheldon and Mabrey’s testimony? The alleged involvement of referees.
Multiple WNBA officials, they claim, were instructed to target Clark with questionable technicals, let through aggressive contact, and “shift the tone” of her games to portray her as whiny, overly emotional, or unprepared for the league’s “physicality.”
Fans had already begun questioning officiating. Now, there’s context behind the chaos.
“They told refs she needed to be humbled. That’s a quote. Humbled,” said Sheldon.
Already, clips are being circulated online: elbows ignored, flagrant fouls uncalled, Clark being shoved, tripped, and yelled at while referees stood silent.
The Ban—and the Backlash
When Sheldon and Mabrey were banned for their repeated on-court conduct, many thought it was an isolated punishment. But now, their bans are being seen as retaliation—silencing the very people who could blow the whistle.
“We went along with the plan, yes. But we didn’t expect to be thrown under the bus,” said Mabrey in a now-deleted tweet. “They used us. And when it got messy, they erased us.”
League Response: Deafening Silence
As of publication, Cathy Engelbert has not issued a formal response to the allegations. The WNBA’s press office declined multiple requests for comment. No independent investigation has been announced.
Social media, however, has erupted. #JusticeForClark and #WNBAExposed trended globally for over 18 hours. Fans, players, and media figures alike are demanding transparency.
Former WNBA MVP Candace Parker tweeted:
“If these allegations are true, it’s not just a scandal. It’s a betrayal. To fans. To players. To the game.”
Others are more cautious, awaiting proof. But the calls for a third-party investigation, possible congressional oversight, and a full audit of the commissioner’s office are growing by the hour.
Fallout and What Comes Next
Legal experts say if the allegations are substantiated, the WNBA could face:
Class-action lawsuits from players targeted or misled.
Sponsorship withdrawals due to ethical violations.
Federal scrutiny for corrupt practices within a professional sports league.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark herself has remained largely silent, issuing only a short statement through her agent:
“Caitlin is focused on the game. She trusts the process, and right now she’s letting the truth come to light.”
But her silence speaks volumes. A player targeted, isolated, and assaulted under the guise of “league strategy”—and now, vindicated by those once complicit.
The Bottom Line: If Sheldon and Mabrey are telling the truth, this isn’t just a WNBA problem. It’s a story of power, fear, and betrayal—and the cost of silencing a rising star.
SEE MORE: WNBA star Caitlin Clark reveals the $10 luxury she won’t pay for: ‘I’m a little cheap’
Many highly paid athletes, including LeBron James, admit to having some pretty frugal behaviors
Caitlin Clark has joined a growing list of millionaire athletes who are calling themselves “cheap.”
The Indiana Fever star said Sunday that she planned to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals that night between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but noted that she might be on a flight to Seattle for her WNBA team’s next game — so she’d need internet access while in the air.
The only problem: Clark doesn’t like paying for wifi.
“I think we’re going to be in the air,” Clark said before her game against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. “We fly Delta
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and sometimes they have the screens on the back of the plane, but sometimes they don’t.
“So, I’m hoping for the ones with the screens on the back of the chairs, so I don’t have to pay for wifi. I’m a little cheap,” she added.
The Pacers ended up losing to the Thunder.
So how much would the wifi have set Clark back? A one-hour wifi pass on most domestic flights costs under $10, but may vary based on length of flight and airline.
Clark — who reportedly has an eight-year, $28 million shoe contract with Nike
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— joins the growing list of well-paid professional athletes who have publicly stated they refuse to spend on some of life’s little luxuries, despite having the means to do so.
Some MLB players, who are frequent flyers due to their 162-game season, have complained that their teams don’t offer free wifi on flights. Players for the New York Yankees, the most valuable franchise in baseball, have stated they didn’t love having to shell out money for internet access while airborne. “I didn’t pay for it, on principle,” former Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon told Sports Illustrated in 2023.
In a recent conversation with MarketWatch, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves admitted that he refuses to pay an extra $6 a month to upgrade his Apple Music
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account. Reaves said that after he signed a $54 million contract, he didn’t buy a house nor a car, like you might expect after a big payday, but simply treated himself to a new set of golf clubs instead.
Reaves added that he admires his teammate LeBron James’s well-documented frugality.
“LeBron has done very, very well for him and his family. He’s very smart with his money, he’s not blowing money. He’s not cheap, but…” Reaves joked.
James — with a net worth of about $1.2 billion, according to Forbes — has famously said that he refuses to pay for cellphone data when traveling abroad, and still listens to music-streaming services with commercials.
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo revealed to MLB.com in 2022 that he drives a 2010 Nissan Altima that doesn’t have Bluetooth capability, and still has a CD player. Nimmo, who has signed MLB contracts worth over $178 million, says it “keeps me humble.”
Of course, there are also many athletes who splurge. NBA forward Dillion Brooks told MarketWatch last year that he purchased a Rolls Royce Phantom shortly after signing his $86 million contract. Brooks said he was also paying off his mom’s mortgage.
Clark’s position may be in line with how some consumers are feeling in the U.S. lately, as many Americans have trimmed their discretionary spending on things like eating out and as well as other forms of retail spending.
Of course, Clark has a much lower base salary than all of the other athletes mentioned in this story: $78,066 a year. Many WNBA players are dissatisfied with the current salary structure of the league, and had their union opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires at the end of this season.
WNBA players split just 9.3% of the league’s revenue. By contrast, NBA players, in aggregate, receive between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income, NFL players get 48% of all revenue and NHL players get 50%.
But in many ways, Clark is a financial unicorn compared to most WNBA players. That’s because she has lucrative endorsement deals in addition to her Nike sponsorship, including with State Farm, Gatorade
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and many other brands.
One option for Clark and others who fly frequently is to buy a monthly or annual wifi pass for some airlines — some of which cost $599 annually.
