Wednesday saw a lot of furor about an interaction Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel had with new Indiana Fever draft pick Caitlin Clark at her introductory press conference. That interaction saw an awkward exchange between Doyel and Clark over the “heart hands” symbol she makes to family after games. After a ton of criticism for how he handled himself, Doyel apologized on Twitter/X Wednesday night, and added that he has a full column coming with more of an apology:
Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature 🫶. My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) April 17, 2024
For the record, here’s that interaction:
— Don Barzini (@DonBarziniXX) April 17, 2024
And here’s a transcription of it:
Doyel: “Gregg Doyel, Indy Star. Real quick, let me do this. [Heart hands gesture.]”
Clark: [smiles] “You like that?”
Doyel: “I like that you’re here, I like that you’re here.”
Clark: “Yeah, I do that to my family after every game. Pretty cool.”
Doyel: “Well, start doing it to me, and we’ll get along just fine.”
Others noted that Doyel had another strange exchange in this presser with Fever coach Christie Sides:
Gregg Doyle had second exchange that would also be categorized as…creepy.
GD to the Fever coach Christie Sides: "You just got the keys to THAT, what are you gonna do with IT?" pic.twitter.com/2fyWLTMj6y
— SHE scores bangers (@SHEscoresbanger) April 17, 2024
Doyel’s behavior here understandably led to a lot of criticism. Some of the most notable comments came from female media members. Here’s a small selection of that:
The extra infuriating thing about this is the asker is not some random with a blog. Indy Star does Pulitzer-winning sports journalism, and still.
If outlets aren’t sending diverse reporters with experience/expertise in women’s sports, they’re not equipped to cover the WNBA. https://t.co/illMgXolj1
— Emily Adams (@eaadams6) April 17, 2024
Just remember: this male reporter was comfortable enough to say this to a 22 year old celebrity, in front of all his peers, during a live press conference, AS PART OF HIS JOB HE GETS PAID FOR.
& we wonder why so few women are in sports journalism or journalism leadership roles? https://t.co/lz85WIfLzB
— Emily Bloch (@emdrums) April 17, 2024
This is BEYOND inappropriate.
The really sad thing is, athletes in the WNBA have been fielding inappropriate ? from “media” members for years.
I media in quotes bc anyone who does this is not a professional and deserves their credential pulled. This is disturbing. https://t.co/hEVkWq1GRs
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) April 17, 2024
https://twitter.com/darcangel21/status/1780700163365044618
This is incredibly uncomfortable.
Also- The WNBA is going to need to step up their media vetting process from what it’s been in the past. With more eyes, interest and investment the bar should be high to only complete professionalism and legitimacy.
— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) April 17, 2024
I'm sure the Fever has been hoping he would cover their games and press conferences for years. He was trying to establish *himself* as the big deal in that exchange. That's part of what's so icky about it — the patronizing arrogance that he displayed. "*I'm* happy you're heere."
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) April 17, 2024
re: that video of the reporter harassing Caitlin Clark (and it's important we're clear with our language bc that's what that was), I really, truly think we need to have a conversation about the privileges granted to cis men who cover women's sports. there, I said it
— Tamerra Griffin (@tamerra_nikol) April 17, 2024
That Caitlin Clark video highlights a lot of things in one very small clip, but it's also worth discussing how that's just the tip of the iceberg — how much does that approach reflect the decision makers who still shape coverage at every level?
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024
This also got criticism for Doyel from other corners, including with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy calling him a “pervert” while tweeting some of a Barstool piece (by Jack McGuire) titled “Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever Career Begins With Gregg Doyel Being A Total Creep To Her At Introductory Press Conference.” And Doyel has now at least responded to some of that. It will be interesting to see what he writes in the column he teased on this.
Update: That column is here, and it’s since taken its own criticism, especially for how it starts by being defensive.
[Gregg Doyel on Twitter/X]
