Scott Agness, after losing his Indiana Fever credentials, recently gave a strong warning to other journalists. Agness, one of the most well-recognized Indiana basketball reporters, lost his privileges over a reporting mishap in May, 2026.

For the past two decades, Agness has covered both the Fever and the Pacers. This relationship suddenly came to a premature halt, over a report from the May 20 game between the Indiana Fever and the Portland Fire. Agness took to YouTube on June 12 on his channel, Scott Agness | Fieldhouse Files, to elaborate.

“This overriding theme here should be a big red flag for other journalists as well who are in my position, who are covering a team or covering a league. Especially, by the way, those not tied to an institution, because you could be next.”

Agness announced his own credential loss via his blog, the Fieldhouse Files, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

The reporter wrote about how his credential access to the Fever events had been revoked due to “the spread of inaccurate and unsubstantiated information” through his earlier X post before the May 20 game.

Agness issues the warning to fellow journalists to be careful while reporting about organizations and franchises, as even two-decade-long relations can be severed over a misunderstanding.

His blog post from June 2 further elaborated on how the Fever PR team spoke to him before the game about how his post spread misinformation. They refused to open any other channels of communication with Agness, closing the doors to the Fever to him. 

Agness, on the other hand, defends his initial X post. 

What Did Scott Agness Post About the Indiana Fever?

Agness’s original X post came before the May 20 Fever-Fire matchup. The veteran writer posted that Fever’s star player, Caitlin Clark, would not be playing that night. 

“Fever guard Caitlin Clark will NOT play tonight vs Portland Fire. I’m told it’s part of a strategic management plan for the season, “ he posted.

Fever head coach Stephanie White announced that Clark would be out due to a back injury, only 100 minutes before the game began.

Any roster changes must be updated by 5 p.m. on the day of the game. The Fever violated this rule and was issued an official warning by the WNBA.

But the Fever took specific issue with Agness’s use of the phrase “strategic management plan.” The phrasing implied that Clark might not actually be dealing with an injury, but is rather sitting out a game to not overexert herself. 

To clarify this, White even spoke to the media before the game.

“There’s no managing,” White said before the game. “She’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.”

Agness states that he dutifully updated his report after White’s comments. But his credential revocation echoes as a warning to all beat reporters. 

Do you think the Fever was right to revoke Scott Agness’s credentials? Let us know in the comments. 

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Written by

Surjo Ray

Edited by

Surjo Ray