Ex-NFL coach Jon Gruden found himself on the wrong end of such a scam when he unknowingly purchased what appeared to be a fake Caitlin Clark High School jersey. Hoping to gift the jersey to Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy, Gruden instead walked straight into a vendor’s trap.

This entire incident was documented on the Barstool Sports X account, and was preceded by a video praising Jon Gruden for the gift. Oh, how the tables turned! It turned out that the jersey that Gruden had procured was a replica and not the real deal. Portnoy clarified in another tweet that it was a fake. Apparently, Caitlin Clark wore the number 11 while playing for Dowling Catholic, not her patented number 22.

Portnoy, visibly amused yet embarrassed by the blunder, couldn’t help but tease Gruden: “They saw you coming a mile away—look at this sucker walking in!” It was all fun and games between the two though, as they were obviously engaged in friendly banter. Dave Portnoy is a huge fan of CC, however, and he expressed it very clearly.

Portnoy calls Clark his ‘favorite athlete’

Before it was revealed that the jersey was a fake, Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy was having a fangirl moment over Caitlin Clark! When Gruden tossed the jersey at him, he looked puzzled before breaking into an excited smile.

“This is sick!” Portnoy said, giving the jersey a once-over. He then went on to talk about how much he admired Caitlin Clark. “She’s my favorite athlete that I watch in sports right now! I love what she just did with telling the NBA to go screw off in the three-point contest, like I’ll do it in my league first! She gets no credit.”

“How did we not get her on the Olympics? What’s up with that?” Gruden commented on her Olympics snub, to which Portnoy responded with a one word reaction. “Crazy.”

Even though it must have stung to find out that the jersey was fake, it’s obvious that Caitlin Clark had a major impact on Dave Portnoy. Her competitive fire and brand loyalty have earned her a lot of respect from her peers. We’ve only seen a single CC season, and we’re all hooked! Fans cannot wait to see how the Hawkeyes alum develops going forward in her career.