Weirdo Gregg Doyel Bizarrely Compares Nico Iamaleava To Bryson DeChambeau 'Turning Back On America'

In one of the oddest sports columns of the year, Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyel wrote an article comparing golfer Bryson DeChambeau to college football quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Doyel argued that the only difference between their "greed" is the "politics" behind their motivations.

"Masters contender Bryson DeChambeau accepted $125M from the alleged backers of 9/11. QB Nico Iamaleava sought additional millions from Tennessee. Which of these is OK with you? And why?" Doyel posted on X while promoting the piece.

Oh, geez.

For background, DeChambeau accepted a nine-figure offer to join the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Tour in 2022. Iamaleava recently departed from the University of Tennessee after the school declined to increase his NIL contract from slightly more than $2 million to $4 million.

So, what exactly is the link between the two athletes? Well, that's the problem. There isn't one. 

Put simply, Doyel sought to play a game of whataboutism with a wild equivalency, seemingly to express his years-long outrage over DeChambeau's deal with Saudi Arabia.

 "To those upset about former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava's greed, what do you think of Bryson DeChambeau's deal with the Saudi Arabian government?" he asks.

The issue with articles like these—besides the fact that they are written in bad faith—is that they include strawman arguments. Doyel implies Iamaleava has faced more criticism over his business decision than DeChambeau's did for his. However, nowhere in the article does he cite specific criticisms of either. 

"So we’re left, now, to wonder what is happening in a world where lots of people — many of the same people, let’s be honest — are disgusted with Nico Iamaleava for seemingly turning his back on Tennessee, but not disgusted with Bryson DeChambeau for seemingly turning his back on America," the articles states.

Who?

Are there specific journalists or commentators who expressed "disgust" over Iamaleava but defended or ignored DeChambeau "seemingly turning his back on America"?

If so, why didn't Doyel name those commentators? 

From what we can tell, DeChambeau was heavily scrutinized for joninig LIV Golf.  In fact, entire articles have been written about the condemnation of DeChambeau taking money from the Saudis.

"Genuinely think this is one of the wildest equivalences I have ever seen IN MY LIFE," Senior Writer at The Athletic Sam Vecenie said on X about the article.

We agree.

One is a collegiate athlete, the other a pro. One accepted an offer, and the other is seeking a bigger deal that reporters suggest he is not worth. One is a golfer, and the other plays football.

Doyel's comparison is not just illogical, it's also cringe and lazy.

Granted, maybe the author just has too much time on his hands. After all, his employer banned him from covering local sensation Caitlin Clark after a bizarre interaction, during which he asked Clark to make her signature heart-shaped hand gesture toward him.

Clark: "You like that?"

Doyel: "I like that you're here, I like that you're here."

Clark: "Yeah, I do that to my family after every game, so ... Pretty cool."

Doyel: "Well, start doing it to me, and we'll get along just fine.

What a weirdo.