Dave Portnoy praises Gregg Doyel's suspension after calling him a 'sexist pervert' for Caitlin Clark exchange: 'Disgusting on every level'

Dave Portnoy insists the decision to suspend Gregg Doyel over his 'disgusting' interaction with Caitlin Clark is 'the right move' after the reporter was banned from attending Indiana Fever games this summer.

Doyel, who works for Indianapolis newspaper the Indy Star, drew heavy criticism last month following his bizarre exchange with new Fever star Clark at her introductory press conference.

Two days after she was picked by Indiana with the first overall pick at the WNBA Draft, he introduced himself to the former Iowa college hero by performing her famous heart-shaped hand gesture.

When an awkward Clark asked if he liked her popular hand signal, Doyel replied: 'Start doing it with me and we'll get along just fine.'

Portnoy led the furious online backlash to the interaction with Clark last month, branding the Indy Star writer a 'sexist pervert'.

Three weeks on it has emerged that Doyel was suspended by his publication for two weeks over the incident, a ban which is expected to end on May 13. He is also prevented from attending any Fever games over the summer.

And following the news of his suspension, Portnoy doubled down on his criticism of the reporter, insisting his comments to Clark were 'disgusting on every level'.

The Barstool Sports chief quoted a post about Doyel's ban on X and said: 'The right move. There is no place for the Gregg Doyle's of the world in sports journalism.

'Disgusting on every level.'

Doyel, who hasn't published a column since April 29, is currently in the middle of his two-week suspension dished out to him by Indy Star owners Gannett and the newspaper itself, according to a report from Bob Kravitz - a former writer at the same publication. 

Despite not being able to attend any Fever games this summer, he will 'continue to write columns of the team by watching TV from his home,' added Kravitz.

Amid the fury over his remark to Clark last month, Doyel apologized for his actions after clips of their exchange went viral.

'Today in my uniquely oafish way, while welcoming @CaitlinClark22 to Indy, I formed my hands into her signature,' he 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.'

Portnoy and many others, however, were quick to criticize him on social media.

'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 [sic] a sexist pervert. Which he is based on his nauseating actions today,' he later added.

Shortly after, creepy footage of Doyel calling Clark 'this' and 'it' in a weird question to Fever head coach Christie Sides emerged.  

'You were just given the keys to that,' he first 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 start. She's gonna help us out with that.'

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.

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.