SportsCenter anchor Gary Striewski is taking flak for an awkward interaction with the PGA golfer Sahith Theegala’s fiancée, Juju Chan.
Striewski said in a TikTok video that he ran into Theegala and Chan at a coffee shop in Connecticut during the Travelers Championship, which took place just a half hour from ESPN’s campus in Bristol.
The 39-year-old explained he recognized Chan from her social media videos and just so happened to be sitting next to her, so while Theegala was waiting for their coffee, he leaned over and said, “Has anyone spotted you yet?”
Striewski said Chan looked at him contemptuously and said, “I guess now?”
The “SportsCenter” anchor felt the interaction was odd since, if you are posting on social media there’s an expectation that you might be recognized in public and you should respond positvely to it.
He added that a few minutes later, someone in the same shop recognized him and he had a conversation with that person happily.
Chan responded to the story, saying “the interaction that he’s explaining did not happen the way he’s saying it did. He’s continuing to let people believe a false narrative.”
The social media influencer said she didn’t feel opening a conversation with a question about being spotted was normal, and that she had no idea who Striewski was at the time.
“I was uncomfortable with the comment, but I was also trying to laugh it off,” she said.
Chan continued by saying she felt Striewski acted “extremely unprofessional” and that he was encouraging people to hate on her.
“That guy should have never put you in a position like this… I love you so much, and I’m incredibly proud of how you’ve handled it, my queen,” Theegala commented on his fiance’s post. “I see how kind and caring you are to all that interact with you, and the people close to us know your real, incredible self.”
Striewski posted another video responding to people questining going up Chan while Theegala wasn’t there, but did not win anyone over, commenting about how good he looks for his age twice while trying to apologize.