Fever Star Colson Calls Out Refs for Failing to Protect Mitchell

On August 30th, 2025, veteran guard Sydney Colson of the Indiana Fever continued to engage with fans as she recovers from a season-ending ACL injury. While Colson did not travel with her team to Los Angeles for a crucial game against the Sparks, she closely followed the action to support her squad.

Late in the second quarter, Fever star Kelsey Mitchell found herself in a physical encounter with Sparks guard Kelsey Plum. As Mitchell navigated an Aliyah Boston screen, Plum kept pace by holding onto Colson's teammate. Reacting to the play, Colson took to social media, criticizing the referees for not giving Mitchell the same "star treatment" as other players, stating that the way she gets "assaulted is insane."

Fever coach Stephanie White has previously stressed that her team has communicated to the league about the alleged disparity in calls, with her players being victims of a "double standard" from officials. However, White has also emphasized that her team can only do so much with its complaints, and Mitchell and her teammates need to adapt to how games have been called.

In the tightly contested game against the Sparks, free throws could have made a significant difference, as the home team had an 11-for-13 clip from the line, while the Fever went 4-for-6. Fans noted how the complexion of the game could have changed had the Fever been given more attempts from the charity stripe.