Indy Star Writer Barred From Covering Indiana Fever Season After Predatory Comment Toward Caitlin Clark

Indy Star sportswriter Gregg Doyel won’t be covering the Indiana Fever’s upcoming WNBA season after making predatory comments toward Caitlin Clark during her introductory press conference on April 17.

“Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel will not be covering the Indiana Fever,” Indy Star spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton confirmed to TheWrap.

Former Indy Star writer Bob Kravitz wrote on his Substack that Star owner Gannett issued Doyel a two-week suspension and barred the writer from attending Indiana Fever games this season. He will, however, still be allowed to cover the team by watching the games from home. Doyel’s last published story appeared on April 29 and his suspension ends on May 13, per local media reports.

Gannett did not offer further comment regarding Doyel’s actions, per company policy.

The April 17 incident came about when Doyel asked Clark about her heart hands gesture she’s often seen making. It was the reporter’s comment to her response that earned him the suspension.

“Yeah, I do that at my family after every game,” Clark answered, to which Doyel replied, “Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.”

The news comes as Bob Iger announced that Clark’s opening WNBA game will stream on Disney+. The May 14 game against the Connecticut Sun will also stream on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The basketball phenom is no stranger to pulling in a crowd on her own. Clark led her Iowa Hawkeyes to an NCAA Tournament Final Four victory over UCONN that also broke the record for highest-ever viewership for a basketball game – including NBA, WNBA, any men’s or women’s basketball – with 14.2 million viewers.

Natalie Korach contributed to this report.

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