INDIANAPOLIS — Veteran sports journalist Scott Agness said Tuesday the Indiana Fever revoked his credentialed access to all Fever games and events in an email sent to him, which said the decision was due to “the spread of inaccurate and unsubstantiated information.”
In a post about the Fever’s decision to ban him, Agness said the team “cited (his) tweet about Caitlin Clark being ruled out 100 minutes before (the Fever) defeated the Portland Fire on May 20.”
Said Agness, an independent journalist who writes for his news site Fieldhouse Files: “Fever PR briefly spoke with me before the game to ask about the tweet and state that they believed it was false. However, there was no meeting or further conversation before the decision to revoke my credentialed access was communicated to me.
“In my response, I told the organization that I stand by my reporting and the intent behind it.”
IndyStar reached out to Agness, the longest-serving Fever reporter since 2013, for comment beyond his statement, but did not immediately receive a response.
In his statement, Agness said his information came “from a trusted league source. The story provided additional details and was updated before tip-off to include head coach Stephanie White’s pregame comments.”
White’s comments directly defied what Agness had reported.
“There’s no managing,” White said May 20. “(Clark’s) healthy. We’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.”
Clark was ruled out of Indiana’s game against the Fire with a back injury, the Fever said an hour and 40 minutes before the game May 20, according to IndyStar’s Fever Insider Chloe Peterson.
She was not listed on WNBA-mandated injury reports from 5 p.m. May 19 to 5:15 p.m. May 20. She was listed on the report released at 5:30 p.m. May 20.
Clark did not practice May 19, getting treatment and a workout in instead, White said pregame. In the portion of practice open to reporters, Clark was at practice in the beginning, but did not participate in warmups or the first drills of the day.
“She just woke up with some stiffness and some soreness,” White said May 20. “We like to see, like I always say, how do you respond after a workout. For us, it’s not the time to take a chance. We just really want to be cautious.”
IndyStar reached out to the Fever, Pacers and WNBA for comment. The Fever responded, but declined to comment. The Pacers nor the WNBA responded.
“The PBWA objects in the strongest possible terms to any reporter losing access for the act of reporting,” the board of the Professional Basketball Writers Association said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Any effort to prevent reporters from doing the work of informing the public reflects poorly on any team and league which attempts to do so, and runs contrary to the best interest of all involved, most of all the public.”
‘I remain committed’ after bans by Pacers, Fever
Agness said his ban from covering Fever events “comes against the backdrop of my relationship with the Pacers.”
“Before the start of the 2023-24 season,” he continued, “my access to the team inexplicably shifted overnight — after being the only one to cover every training camp practice — from daily access to weekends only.”
Following NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, those restrictions increased to no access and Agness was taken off the team’s email distribution list, he said.
“I cannot definitively say whether those Pacers circumstances influenced the Fever’s decision,” he said. “What I can say is that this latest action follows a pattern that has made it increasingly difficult for an independent journalist to provide the type of on-the-ground coverage that readers deserve.”
Agness said he remains committed to covering the Fever and Pacers, “however, without credentialed access, some aspects of coverage — including player interviews, community events and other on-location reporting — will be more limited due to these team-imposed restrictions.
“Even so, I will continue doing the work, telling unique stories and providing the context and coverage that readers have come to expect from Fieldhouse Files. Thank you for your support, your readership and your trust.”
Read Agness’s full statement.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever revoke all access for journalist Scott Agness after Caitlin Clark back injury report
Reporting by Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
