NFL great shares blunt advice for Caitlin Clark after Alyssa Thomas throat punch: 'Bury these fools'

NFL great Patrick Peterson has some simple advice for Caitlin Clark: Make them pay.

During the Fever’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, Clark was punched in the throat by Alyssa Thomas while lying on the court after a scrum. No foul was called at the time, and Clark left the game due to injury.

Discussing the incident in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Peterson said he believes Clark needs to respond by burying her opponents on the court.

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"When they play each other, now you got to put (belt to a--). You got to prove it with your play. Now, now you understand that I'm getting cheap-shotted or however she may feel, I'm getting a cheap shot now. I got to go out here and bury these fools," Peterson said. "Every time I see the Mercury show up on my schedule, it’s on from when the schedule comes out."

Peterson, who played in the NFL for 13 seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl eight times, said he would let his play do the talking on the field.

"That's always been my mentality, because we can't fight on the court. We can't fight on the football field. We got helmets on. So what sense does that make? And the best way to silence someone is with your play," Peterson said.

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The three-time All-Pro said Clark’s teammates can get fired up to defend Clark, but it could ultimately end up being detrimental in the long run.

"At the end of the day, you got to move on from it, you know? I mean, we can come in the locker room, and we can say, ‘Hurrah,’ and say we're going to do this, that, and the other, but you just saw what (Alyssa Thomas) just got, a suspension. And so now money is coming out of your own pocket," Peterson said.

Peterson was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL during his 13-year career. Peterson was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s. In 201 career games, Peterson recorded 36 interceptions, 122 pass deflections, 652 total tackles and four sacks.

He spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, then two with the Minnesota Vikings before spending his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played from 2011-2023.

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The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native will be playing in the American Century Championship from July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. 

Peterson said the event has evolved tremendously over the years and said it’s something that his whole family enjoys.

"My girls look forward to going to Lake Tahoe each and every year to not only walk with dad, but to go out on the lake," Peterson said. "Go on top the mountain and doing the zipline and things like that. So, the memories that they're able to create for the families that are involved are countless."

Peterson is using AI to help improve his golf game and prepare for the American Century Championship.

"I'm using this app called Performance Golf. It's basically an app that you can download on your phone, and you can basically have a AI coach," Peterson said.

"You can video yourself, you can use any club, any swing, putter, wedge, chip, pitch, driver, irons, whatever you need that you need help in or want to see better results in, you can video yourself, submit the video, and then what'll happen is the AI coach will tell you what your flaw is what you need to work on to have better results. And I've been using it for the last four months and it's helped my game tremendously."

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