Two of the weekend’s biggest sports stories came in the form of Bryson DeChambeau’s battle with Rory McIlroy in the final two rounds of the Masters and star quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s departure from the Tennessee football program.
And whereas most saw them as separate stories, Gregg Doyel saw an opportunity to compare the two and the reactions that they elicited.
In a column for the Indianapolis Star, Doyel did just that in a post titled “Politics the only difference between the greed of Bryson DeChambeau, Nico Iamaleava.” You can read the column here. But its general gist can be summed up in the longtime sportswriter’s social media post promoting it, in which Doyel wrote: “Masters contender Bryson DeChambeau accepted $125M from the alleged backers of 9/11. QB Nico Iamaleava sought additional millions from Tennessee. Which of these is OK with you? And why?”
Masters contender Bryson DeChambeau accepted $125M from the alleged backers of 9/11. QB Nico Iamaleava sought additional millions from Tennessee.
Which of these is OK with you?
And why?https://t.co/0Kqgamzjyn— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) April 13, 2025
Doyel’s post on X promoting the column on Sunday unsurprisingly drew no shortage of reactions, with many taking issue with what they viewed as a false equivalency. But lest you thought the longtime sports columnist was going to back down, you clearly aren’t familiar with his work, as he proceeded to defend his column on social media before doubling down with another similarly worded post touting it on Monday morning.
Bryson DeChambeau and Nico Iamaleava: Two unseemly money grabs. One turned his back on Tennessee. The other turned his back on 9/11 families.
Why is one of them still a fan-favorite?
And why is it…HIM?https://t.co/0KqgamyLIP— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) April 14, 2025
It’s easy to see what Doyel was going for here, as there is something to be said about both the outsized reaction to Iamaleava’s exit from Knoxville and how numb most sports fans have seemingly become to sportswashing. Doyel’s column, however, conveniently omits that DeChambeau and most of the LIV Golf defectors initially faced plenty of backlash, just as Iamaleava is now.
Ultimately, these might have worked as two separate columns — why have fans become so numb to Saudi Arabia’s involvement in sports? And will Nico Iamaleava ultimately prove to be a trailblazer in college sports? — but combining the two points seems like a stretch and then some. Especially when considering the difference in the money involved; DeChambeau’s LIV Golf contract is reportedly worth $125 million, Iamaleava is reportedly seeking a $4 million NIL package.
Neither column, however, would likely elicit the reaction that Doyel’s actual column did, which he appears to be reveling in based on his social media activity. Sure, he might catch a few strays regarding his past run-in with Caitlin Clark. But if the point of Doyel’s work was to get people talking, then he certainly succeeded here.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.