The New York Times published an investigative piece over the weekend about how Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and his questionable financial dealings and past statements have curiously skirted gambling regulators in multiple states.
The gambling company Penn National purchased Barstool in 2020, and is poised to take over the brand, making Portnoy the "public spokesman for the sports-betting industry," the Times writes.
The piece alleges that Portnoy irresponsibly "regales his followers with his betting exploits and cajole(s) them to join him." The article, "Desperate for Growth, Aging Casino Company Embraced 'Degenerate Gambler,'" is part of the Times' larger investigation into the rapidly ascending legalized sports-betting industry.
Unsurprisingly, Portnoy took issue with the Times' assertions, and tweeted out a lengthy video showing his correspondence with the story's author, Emily Steele, in an attempt to the show the Times was pursuing a hit piece.
The video shows that Portnoy first reached out to Steele on May 10, accusing the Times of "trying to dig up dirt" on him and saying he's an "open book" who wants to have an on-the-record conversation. Steele replied, promising she would circle back "in the near future" to arrange a time to chat.
They had another correspondence May 23 — in which Portnoy asked for her editor's number — and then there were no message exchanged until last week.
The Times sent Portnoy a list of questions and gave him 72 hours to answer. Portnoy didn't accept those terms, and said he wanted to sit down with Steele and record the conversation himself.
"The Times provided Penn, Barstool and Mr. Portnoy with detailed questions about this article. Penn and Barstool executives did not respond to repeated messages. Mr. Portnoy did not provide answers," writes Steele.
Portnoy mentions "39 women" reaching out to him multiple times, indicating the Times was digging into his sexual history. Last year, Insider published a story detailing allegations from several young women who said their sexual encounters with Portnoy turned violent.
The Times mentions that article, but doesn't quote any of the women directly.
Earlier this year, Portnoy filed a defamation suit against Insider. A judge dismissed the case Nov. 7.
