Yahoo Sports Columnist Who Made Cringey Remarks To Caitlin Clark Won't Cover Indiana Fever Games
Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel, who went viral over an awkward exchange he had with Caitlin Clark last month, won’t be covering any Indiana Fever games this season.
Citing unnamed sources, Indianapolis-based journalist Bob Kravitz reported Tuesday on his Substack that Doyel had been given a two-week suspension over the incident with Clark.
The IndyStar declined to comment on the alleged suspension, citing its policies.
“Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel will not be covering the Indiana Fever,” Star spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton said in a statement to HuffPost.
The news comes weeks after Doyel was criticized for making cringey remarks to the Fever rookie during her introductory press conference with the team on April 17. The back-and-forth between Doyel and Clark began after he made a heart sign at her during the news conference.
“You like that?” Clark said in response to the gesture, a reference to the athlete’s signature move that she does to her family after games.
“I like that you’re here,” Doyel said.
“I do that with my family after every game,” Clark added.
“Start doing it to me, and we’ll get along just fine,” Doyel replied.
— Don Barzini (@DonBarziniXX) April 17, 2024
Doyel’s remarks were seen as creepy, sexist and inappropriate by people on social media, leading the columnist to apologize for the exchange.
In a post on X, formerly called Twitter, Doyel said that his comments were “clumsy and awkward,” adding, “I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.”
He apologized to Clark again in a column he wrote addressing the incident shortly after it happened.
However, some people took issue with his column, saying that it centered on him and not Clark or the reason for Doyel’s apology.
I have never heard of Gregg Doyel until yesterday and I don’t cover sports or Indianapolis. But we’ve both been journalists for about 30 years and there’s absolutely no excuse for his behavior. He made Clark’s tenure here about him, and now he’s made his apology about him, too. https://t.co/PSTnRT0sV5
— Leslie Gray Streeter (@LeslieStreeter) April 18, 2024
This is *almost* as cringe of an apology as Gregg Doyel making the love hand heart remark to Caitlin Clark in the first place.
Making it about him & everything he went through after being put on blast.
The LAST line of the article was the apology to Caitlin. A simple I’m… https://t.co/WSvcIQtoVV— Kirsten Tanis (@kct2020) April 18, 2024
Gregg Doyel’s behavior at Caitlin Clark’s news conference was inappropriate and disrespectful, his apology lacking. I am continuing to monitor the response to this incident because I don’t want this to blow over. I don’t want these crucial conversations to stop.
— Naila-Jean Meyers🇵🇭 (@NailaJeanMeyers) April 20, 2024
The Gregg Doyel apology column last night to REALLY make it about himself really was the cherry on top. https://t.co/mpVPgonkzy
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) April 18, 2024
I read it so you don’t have to.
Gregg Doyel’s apology - and I’m paraphrasing , but barely - seems to be, “I’m sorry but you see I always have weird conversations with sports people (haha lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), but Caitlin Clark is a woman and I couldn’t have been prepared for that.” https://t.co/ZgVf3eowoG— Nick Mercadante (@NMercad) April 18, 2024
