Dave Portnoy won't be losing sleep over Dan Rapaport's departure from Barstool Sports.
Rapaport announced his departure from the network on Thursday. Portnoy responded to the news on the “Unnamed Show” with co-hosts Kirk Minihane and Ryan Whitney.
Minihan asked Portnoy about comments made by Rapaport, who joined Barstool two years ago from Golf Digest, about the company not seeking to grow to the same extent it had under Penn State's ownership.
“I'm not obsessed with growing the company. What he said there is fair,” said Portnoy, who bought the company back from the University of Pennsylvania last year for $1.
Minihan continued, “Isn't this about making money?”
Portnoy responded: “I'm always going to try to make money, but would I do a Korn Ferry? Definitely not. It was a huge mistake, a stupid thing to do. I wouldn't do it. There are some things I wouldn't do. Like, this wouldn't work. I'm not going to spend money just to spend money, but of course, if you can make money, everyone wants money and that will give you more money back.”
“I don't mean to be disrespectful, OK? I don't like Dan Rapaport, but I don't hate him. I have no interest in Dan Rapaport. I wish him the best. I have no ill will towards him. I agree that Dan Rapaport is a boring player, and he wasn't a good fit for us. And he came over from 'Foreplay.' They wanted him there, and we signed him.”
“Fore Play” is a golf podcast hosted by Sam Riggs-Bozoian, Trent Ryan and Frankie Borelli. The show typically operates out of Barstool's separate wing, as the personalities have found a niche the brand hasn't previously addressed and have made a lot of money from it through merchandise.
Portnoy, as he previously stated, wasn't disappointed by Rapaport's departure.
“He has an agent. They reached out to him about renewing his contract. I wouldn't say we treated it like we were trying to re-sign Patrick Mahomes,” Portnoy said.
“Maybe I could have been a bit more proactive.”
Portnoy said he would have re-signed Rapaport if other “foreplay” players had been pushing for a deal.
“I'm so grateful for the past two years. It's been the best experience of my life, traveling the world with amazing friends and lots of golfing adventures,” Rapaport wrote to X after announcing that Thursday's podcast would be his last.
He thanked his co-stars and producers behind the scenes, concluding, “Sometimes you just have to follow your instincts, and that's where I am right now. As for what's next, I'm taking some time to relax (and maybe work on my game!) before diving into my next journey. I love golf, and I'm excited about where the future holds for the sport. I plan on continuing to cover golf in new and exciting ways, and I'll do my best.”
