Caitlin Clark Shaken Up After Collision With Ohio State Fan Storming Court
By Liam McKeone
NBC had Caitlin Clark's No. 2 ranked Iowa team taking on Ohio State on Sunday afternoon as the lead-in to pregame coverage for the Detroit Lions-Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL playoff game. The 18th-ranked Buckeyes pulled off the upset, 100-92, despite 45 points and seven assists from Clark. After the final whistle sounded some Ohio State fans decided to storm the court and disaster appeared to strike for college basketball's biggest superstar.
Clark ran right into a fan storming the court and went down immediately like she was hurt. It is impossible to tell what happened but all reports suggest she was in pain.
Here's the broadcast view:
For people that wondered why Caitlin Clark always has multiple cops around her when the game isn't going on-- it's to protect her from morons like that.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) January 21, 2024
Caitlin was in a lot of pain leaving the court:
pic.twitter.com/E17SeXYR7b
In this courtside video you can see Clark getting clipped by a running fan and going down hard.
18-second mark, Clark and a fan run into each other. Both not seeing someone in front of them. pic.twitter.com/imYpFAipui
— Thomas Costello (@1ThomasCostello) January 21, 2024
A look from the nosebleeds:
Caitlin Clark injury after the Ohio State game… pic.twitter.com/uLwtBmxF99
— DadsDontPlay (@Dadsdontplay) January 21, 2024
A photo of Clark being helped off, surrounded by teammates and security:
Something happened with Caitlin Clark at the end of the game and she had to be helped off the court. Appeared to be on a lot of pain/distress. pic.twitter.com/Te3feQh7QA
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) January 21, 2024
Man, that is absolutely horrible. And a perfect example as to why people are against storming the court. There is zero control over what happens out there and one collision can change everything.
Clark is having a stellar senior season, averaging 31 points per game. Her Iowa team is one of the best in the country and everybody in sports is looking forward to her return to the national stage come March. Fortunately, while she seemed shaken up, the school announced she had avoided injury.
UPDATE: Iowa spokesman told me Caitlin Clark was not injured during this collision while fans stormed the court. https://t.co/Z5JLCTYLO4
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 21, 2024
Happily it seems this is, at most, a cautionary tale. Thank goodness for that. Few athletes are as electric as Clark when she gets going, and it seems she has avoided any injury that may jeopardize her final year at school.