Sydney Colson’s run with the Indiana Fever came to an early halt this month after she tore her ACL against the Phoenix Mercury. She’s already had surgery and won’t see the court again this season, but that hasn’t stopped her from staying present. Instead of her usual spark on the floor, she’s bringing energy online—backing her teammates and throwing shade at the officiating.
On Friday, Colson jumped on X to stick up for Kelsey Mitchell, pointing out that the Fever guard hasn’t been getting the same treatment from referees that other big names do.
“At a certain point in the league’s existence, ima need for Kelsey Mitchell to get the same whistle as other stars. The way she gets assaulted is insane actually & I’ve considered roping my sister in to have her office pursue charges,” she tweeted.
At a certain point in the league’s existence, ima need for Kelsey Mitchell to get the same whistle as other stars. The way she gets assaulted is insane actually & I’ve considered roping my sister in to have her office pursue charges.
— Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) August 30, 2025
The post didn’t go unnoticed. Fans flooded the replies, and even Caitlin Clark chimed in with a quick reminder that the league’s been cracking down. “They’ve been fining everybody for going at the refs,” Clark joked. Colson doubled down, though, especially when a few people missed the sarcasm behind her “assault” comment.
“You think racist and homophobic ppl existing is gon stop me from living my life and joking??? Change ur name so ppl don’t associate A with you please bc I’m starting to think ur dense,” she clapped back at a Wilson fan account.
Complaints about officiating have been a running theme around the league all year. Missed calls, inconsistent whistles, and refs losing control of games have led to flare-ups across multiple teams. Players aren’t shy about saying they’ve had enough.
Sydney Colson calls the referee out for ‘giving the game away’
Sydney Colson, of course, wasn’t finished. During Indiana’s road game against the Los Angeles Sparks, she let it fly again—this time accusing a referee of nearly swinging the result.
“He ran in TWICE tryna give the game away and that’s what had me weak 😂😂 would it have been THRICE had time allowed for it?? (Thrice means three times. I see a lot of y’all who respond to me with IDIOTIC [expletive] so I knew you didn’t know the definition of thrice since ur dumb🫶🏾),” Colson wrote.
He ran in TWICE tryna give the game away and that’s what had me weak 😂😂would it have been THRICE had time allowed for it?? (Thrice means three times. I see a lot of y’all who respond to me with IDIOTIC shit so I knew you didn’t know the definition of thrice since ur dumb🫶🏾)
— Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) August 30, 2025
Even with her season cut short, the veteran guard hasn’t gone silent. Whether it’s defending Mitchell or calling out questionable whistles, Colson is keeping her voice—and the Fever’s frustrations—loud and clear.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
