Reporter apologizes after awkward Caitlin Clark comment went viral

In case you missed it, the above video shows the awkward and inappropriate comment that Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel made towards Indiana Fever’s newest star and top pick in the WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark, during her introductory press conference.

Off camera, Doyel made the heart gesture with his hands, something Clark does at the end of games towards her family. Before he asks his question, he says, “Real quick, I want to do this...” and makes the gesture. Clark smiles a bit, then asks, “you like that?” to which he very awkwardly responds, “I like that you’re here, I like that you’re here”. It’s already uncomfortable enough, but it gets worse. She explains that it’s a gesture she makes to her family and he says, “Okay, well, start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine”.

The disbelief on Clark’s face is apparent. He quickly moves on with his question and she moves on to answer it as well, but the moment was not only uncomfortable, but inappropriate, disrespectful, and unprofessional, and left a lingering awkwardness in the air. While many people pointed out those things on social media, Doyel eventually tweeted out this half-hearted apology:

“Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature . My comment afterward was clumsy and awkward. I sincerely apologize. Please know my heart (literally and figuratively) was well-intentioned. I will do better.”

Clark has not commented on the interaction as of now, but it’s clear in the comments section that his apology was not well-received, with many pointing out the not-so-discrete sexism.

Doyel tried again in a column which he published online on Wednesday night, saying that he is “devastated to realize I’m part of the problem.” He still excused himself a bit by saying that he’s known for having awkward interactions before asking “brashly conversational questions”, but admitted that he is actually just “another insensitive man”.

“After going through denial, and then anger — I’m on the wrong side of this? Me??? — I now realize what I said and how I said it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I mean it was just wrong,” Doyel wrote. “Caitlin Clark, I’m so sorry.”

Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever after breaking the women’s AND men’s NCAA all-time scoring record with the Iowa Hawkeyes. She ended her career with 3,951 total points and her games set viewership records every single time, with the NCAA championship game drawing more viewers than the men’s for the first time in March Madness history.