Gregg Doyel’s Absence from Covering Indiana Fever Acknowledges His Inappropriate Behavior at News Conference

Sports columnist Gregg Doyel, who works for the Indianapolis Star, will not be covering the Indiana Fever in person during this season after being criticized for his behavior at the team’s introductory news conference. Lark-Marie Antón, a spokesperson for Gannett, confirmed that Doyel would not be covering the Fever but did not comment on personnel matters.

Former Star sportswriter Bob Kravitz reported that Doyel had been suspended for two weeks due to his actions at the news conference. However, this was never confirmed by Antón. During the event, Doyel made a heart shape with his hands towards Caitlin Clark, who usually does this gesture towards her family after games. This led to an awkward exchange between them.

Doyel apologized on social media and in a column, admitting that his comments were wrong and offensive. He acknowledged that his attempt to be clever and welcoming had backfired, and he deeply regretted his words. Despite this incident, Doyel’s absence from covering the team is likely to be significant as it is expected that the Fever will draw major crowds during the upcoming WNBA season which starts next week.