Dave Portnoy praises Gregg Doyel’s suspension after calling him a ‘sexist pervert’ for Caitlin Clark exchange: ‘Disgusting on every level’
Dave Portnoy insists the decision to suspend Gregg Doyel over his “disgusting” interaction with Caitlin Clark is “the right move” after the reporter was banned from attending Indiana Fever games this summer.
Doyel, who works for the Indianapolis newspaper Indy Star, was heavily criticized last month after his bizarre exchange with new Fever star Clark during her introductory press conference.
Two days after she was selected by Indiana with the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft, he introduced himself to the former Iowa college hero by performing her famous heart-shaped hand gesture.
When an awkward Clark asked if he liked her popular hand gesture, Doyel replied, “Just do it with me and we’ll get along just fine.”
Portnoy led the angry online response last month to the interaction with Clark, labeling the Indy Star writer a “sexist pervert.”
Dave Portnoy insists the decision to suspend reporter Gregg Doyel over his ‘disgusting’ interaction with Caitlin Clark is ‘the right move’
Doyel was heavily criticized last month after his bizarre exchange with new Indiana Fever star Clark during her introductory press conference
Indy Star columnist Doyel is serving a two-week suspension and banned from Fever games this summer
Portnoy applauded the decision, calling the interaction “disgusting on every level”
Three weeks later, it emerged that Doyel has been banned by his publication for two weeks over the incident, a ban that is expected to end on May 13. He is also banned from attending Fever matches this summer.
And following news of his suspension, Portnoy doubled down on his criticism of the reporter, insisting that his comments against Clark were “disgusting on every level.”
The Barstool Sports chief quoted a report on Doyel’s ban on X, saying, “The right move. There is no place for the Gregg Doyle’s of the world in sports journalism.
‘Disgusting on every level.’
Doyel, who has not published a column since April 29, is currently in the middle of his two-week suspension imposed on him by Indy Star owners Gannett and the newspaper itself, according to a report by Bob Kravitz – a former writer at the same publication.
Despite not being able to attend Fever games this summer, he will “continue to write columns about the team by watching TV from his home,” Kravitz said.
Amid the outrage over his comment to Clark last month, Doyel apologized for his actions after clips of their conversation went viral.
“Today in my uniquely silly way, as I welcomed @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I cupped my hands in her signature,” he wrote on X.
Doyel apologized on social media amid an angry backlash over his comments last month
‘My comment afterwards was clumsy and uncomfortable. My sincere apologies. Please know that my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I’ll do better.’
However, Portnoy and many others were quick to criticize him on social media.
“Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever career begins with Gregg Doyel as the sexiest pervert at the introductory press conference,” Portnoy wrote. “@IndyStarSports do something about this pervert.”
“Just to be clear, I wanted to call Gregg Doyle [sic] a sexist pervert. He bases that on his sickening actions today,” he added later.
Shortly afterwards, eerie footage emerged of Doyel calling Clark “this” and “it” in a strange question to Fever head coach Christie Sides.
“You just got the keys to that,” he told Sides first, referring to Clark as if she were a sports car. ‘What are you going to do with it?’
Sides responded by humanizing Clark: “Hopefully we’ll win a lot of games to start with. She will help us with that.’
Doyel – father of two children – will no longer go to the Fever matches this year and will watch the matches on TV
He will return to work on May 13 but will keep a ‘low profile’ in the meantime, a report has revealed
Doyel, a father of two, is a columnist for the Indy Star. He began a career in journalism after attending the University of Florida before working for The Tampa Tribune, Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer and CBS Sports.
In his author biography, he highlights his experience as an amateur boxer and boasts that he was an all-state in baseball and football during his high school years.
He notes that teachers, veterans, hospice care, the Phoenix Society and raising ALS awareness are among the issues important to him.
In 2023, he was named one of the 250 Most Influential People in Indiana by the Indianapolis Business Journal.