Extremely uncomfortable exchange between Caitlin Clark, reporter takes over internet
Gregg Doyel makes ‘heart hands’ gesture at Clark during introductory press conference
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark speaks during a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings, The Associated Press 2024)
INDIANAPOLIS – There was only one thing being talked about on the internet Wednesday night: an extremely uncomfortable exchange between Caitlin Clark and a reporter.
Clark, a superstar at Iowa and one of the most popular athletes in the world, was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft earlier this week, and she had her introductory press conference with the Indiana Fever on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
That press conference included a very strange interaction with Gregg Doyel, of the Indianapolis Star.
Doyel apparently began by making the “heart hands” gesture at Clark. That’s odd enough to begin with, but Clark brushed it off, acknowledging that she likes to make that gesture to her family after games.
“You like that?” Clark asked.
“I like that you’re here,” Doyel said.
“I do that at my family after every game, so, it’s pretty cool,” Clark said.
Clearly, she handled this very awkward and inappropriate situation well, but Doyel couldn’t stop himself from making it so much worse.
“OK, well, start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine,” Doyel said.
Social media blew up with criticism of Doyel and his comments. He ignored the response initially, but then tweeted a half-apology, half-justification at 7:11 p.m, complete with a tone-deaf pun about hearts:
“Today, in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming Caitlin Clark 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.”
He also published a column apologizing to Clark and calling himself “part of the problem.”
You can hear the exchange in the viral tweet below.
News
At my wedding, my grandfather handed me an old passbook. My father quickly took it and said, “That bank shut down in the ’80s—he’s just confused.”
Part 2 “Mr. Mercer?” he said again, his voice carrying the weight of bad news and good news tangled together so tightly they were impossible to separate. The second executive,…
Part 2 + 3: I kept $20M in my mom’s safe. Next morning she was gone with it—and I laughed because of what was inside
Part 2 Because the black bag they raced out of that house with only had… Twenty million dollars in perfectly printed counterfeit bills. I had swapped the real purchase packet…
Part 2 + 3: My daughter married a Korean man when she was 21. She hasn’t been home for twelve years, but every year, she sends $100,000.
Part 2 And then, someone called out in a voice I would know anywhere. “Mom…?” The single word hit me like a physical blow. My heart slammed against my ribs…
My sister switched my baby powder with flour as a joke during a family visit. Thirty seconds after I used it, my six-month-old baby stopped breathing. I rushed her to the hospital…
Part 2 “It looks like someone deliberately exposed her,” Dr. Morrison finished. The words landed like broken glass in an open wound. I stared at her, the hospital blanket twisting…
Part 2: I am 65 years old. I got divorced 5 years ago. My ex-husband left me a bank card with 3,000 dollars. I never touched it. Five years later, when I went to withdraw that money…
Part 2 The manager’s heels clicked across the polished tile like a countdown. She was in her early sixties, silver hair pulled into a neat bun, navy suit tailored sharp…
Part 2: At my wedding, my grandfather handed me an old passbook. My father quickly took it and said, “That bank shut down in the ’80s—he’s just confused.”
Mr. Mercer?” the second executive repeated, his voice low and measured, like a man delivering news that could tilt the rest of a life. His name tag read Richard Harlan,…
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