Indy Star columnist Gregg Doyel had not one, but two creepy interactions with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark during Wednesday’s press conference in Indianapolis.

In addition to his bizarre request that Clark make heart-shaped hand gestures to him before games – a comment that sparked nationwide outrage – Doyel also referred to the WNBA sensation as ‘that’ and ‘it’ during a question aimed at coach Christie Sides

‘You were just given the keys to that,’ he said to Sides, referring to Clark as if she were a sportscar. ‘What are you going to do with it?’

Sides responded by humanizing Clark:  ‘Hopefully we’re gonna win a lot of games to star. She’s gonna help us out with that.’

Spokespeople for the Indy Star and its parent company, Gannett, did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment on Thursday morning.

Caitlin Clark (left) and Fever coach Christie Sides were left dumfounded by Gregg Doyel

Doyel, a father-of-two, is a columnist for the Indy Star. He previously worked for CBS Sports

 

The gesture Clark does at the end of games is seen here, with the former Iowa star smiling

The headline from Wednesday’s press conference was the first awkward exchange Clark endured with Doyel.

He began by imitating the celebratory hand gesture Clark gives to her family after every game in which she makes the shape of a heart with her hands.

‘I do that at my family after every game,’ said Clark.

Doyel then made the most regrettable comment of the press conference: ‘OK, well listen, start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.’

Doyel has since offered his apology online.

‘Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature,’ the reporter wrote on X.

‘My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.’

Gregg Doyel has apologized on social media and in a column since Wednesday’s incident

Dave Portnoy labelled Gregg Doyel a ‘sexist pervert’ after Caitlin Clark’s press conference

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during an introductory press conference

Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy has since branded Doyel a ‘sexist pervert’ and is demanding his employer take action.

‘Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever Career Begins With Gregg Doyel Being A sexiest pervert at Introductory Press Conference,’ Portnoy wrote. ‘@IndyStarSports do something about this pervert.

‘To clarify I meant to call Gregg Doyle a sexist pervert. Which he is based on his nauseating actions today,’ Portnoy added later.

Portnoy was not alone in his fury over Doyel’s remarks, with several other prominent voices in the industry publicly taking issue with the reporter’s comments.

Katie Mox of CBS Sports, said: ‘What happened to Caitlin Clark today at her first press conference in Indy was really gross.’

CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed even suggested Doyel should be stripped of his credentials.

‘Almost every one of my women colleagues & students in sport media and sports journalism are sharing that clip of Gregg Doyel and Caitlin Clark with disgust,’ Ahmed wrote on X.

‘We are rightly furious and fed up. His creds should be revoked and offered to an unentitled journalist who respects women.’

Gregg Doyel (right) is pictured alongside one of his two sons following a recent graduation

Doyel is pictured alongside his two sons. A native of Hawaii, he was raised in Mississippi

Doyel, a father-of-two, is a columnist for the Indy Star. He launched a career in journalism after studying at the University of Florida, before going on to work for The Tampa Tribune, Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer and CBS Sports.

In his author biography, he highlights his experience as an amateur boxer and brags about being an all-state in baseball and soccer during his high school years.

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Gregg Doyel’s column on Clark focused on all the demands she’ll be facing in Indianapolis

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.

Doyel’s remark comes amid a national debate over Clark’s meager rookie salary of $76,535.

A $338,056 sum dispersed over four seasons, Clark’s rookie deal was limited by the terms of the WNBA collective-bargaining agreement rookie pay scale – a labor deal that was negotiated in 2020, before her freshman year at Iowa.

Regardless, Clark’s rookie salary is less than 1 percent of NBA first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s $12 million take, and that fact has reignited the debate over the gender wage gap in sports.

‘Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,’ read a post on Biden’s X account. ‘But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share.

‘It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.’

Biden says women to be ‘paid what they deserve’ as people sound off online over  Clark’s deal

To be fair, Clark is on the verge of signing a new eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike that will include her own signature shoe, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

But even that massive contract falls well short of bridging the pay gap between the NBA and WNBA.

Not only is Wembanyama’s rookie deal with the San Antonio Spurs worth $55 million, but the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has his own Nike contract rumored to be valued at more than $100 million.

That’s not entirely surprising, given the NBA’s popularity, which makes it more profitable than its sister league.  For starters, its $2.7 billion annual national television revenue dwarfs the WNBA’s $60 million annual contract.

But Clark has seemingly changed the math for the WNBA, which enjoyed its highest-rated draft on Monday with 2.45 million viewers. And back in Indianapolis, the Fever reported more than 17,000 attendees at their WNBA Draft watch party.

Clark won’t make her WNBA regular-season debut until May 14, but ticket prices on the secondary market have already soared over $500. Meanwhile, the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces have made plans to open up 7,000 more seats when the Fever come to town on May 25.

Clark has already signed lucrative deals with companies like State Farm and Gatorade

Other athletes – and not just female sports stars – have taken notice.

‘These ladies deserve so much more,’ Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson wrote on X earlier this week.

But not everyone agrees.

‘Russ, no snark, but explain to me why they deserve so much more,’ responded podcaster Jason Whitlock. ‘Are they curing cancer, educating children, building rocket ships?’

Whitlock continued down this path, arguing that the WNBA isn’t profitable enough to justify larger salaries for its players.

‘Hundreds of thousands of young people leave college each year and start careers for less than 70k a year,’ continued Whitlock, a sports pundit reportedly worth millions. ‘Is a basketball player in a league that loses money every year worth more than an electrical engineer?

‘Walk me through it. Thanks and good luck in Pittsburgh.’

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Caitlin Clark signs autographs for fans during the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15

Of course, Clark has already earned millions in endorsement deals with brands like State Farm, but the controversial podcaster was only addressing her current WNBA salary – something she was unable to really negotiate, per the current collective-bargaining agreement.

Whitlock did not get a response from Wilson, but there are encouraging signs for the WNBA’s bottom line.

(From right to left) Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink at the WNBA Draft

The league jumped from a reported $60 million in revenue in 2022 to a reported $200 million in 2023. And with a new media rights deal on the horizon, those figures can continue to increase, given the popularity of Clark and the rest of the 2024 WNBA Draft class.

Before becoming the obvious first-overall pick by the Fever, Clark spent the last month guiding Iowa to its second consecutive NCAA championship game while garnering the biggest television audiences in tournament history. In the last few days she’s been on Saturday Night Live and NBC’s Today Show, not to mention countless publications, websites, as well as the lips and ears of sports fans across the country.

Sponsors have already taken notice, with Opill, SKIMS, Peloton, La Crema, and Tissot announcing partnerships with the WNBA in recent weeks.

The league already plans to add a new team in 2025, but with Clark’s arrival, there is more expansion talk in the works, not to mention a new media deal that could dwarf the current contract.

‘This is an important year for us around viewership, around attendance, around all the qualitative and quantitative factors that go into the valuation of media rights,’ commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday.

‘The one thing I know about sports, you need household names, rivalries and games of consequence,’ she continued, referencing the women’s NCAA tournament. ‘Those are the three things we’ve had over the past couple weeks.’