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Dave Portnoy finds out Patrick Mahomes doesn't like Barstool Sports, immediately signs his father to a contract
Photos by Michael Hickey/Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Dave Portnoy finds out Patrick Mahomes doesn't like Barstool Sports, immediately signs his father to a contract

Portnoy announced Mahomes' father would box baseball legend John Rocker in a boxing match at a Barstool Sports event.

Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy says he is reserving a seat for Patrick Mahomes when the football player's father has a boxing match for Portnoy's company.

Less than a week after Portnoy found out Mahomes isn't a fan of his sports brand, he turned around and signed Patrick Mahomes Sr., a former MLB pitcher, to a boxing contract to fight fellow former pitcher John Rocker.

Portnoy learned about the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback's feelings toward his company only after Taylor Lewan, one of Barstool Sports' top podcasters, left the company and asked Mahomes to come on his show.

"I don't know if you've seen the news, but [my podcast] is leaving Barstool Sports," Lewan said to Mahomes at a press conference. "Is it safe to say they could see you as a guest in this upcoming offseason?"

"It definitely improved y'all's chances for sure," Mahomes replied. "We’ll have to make that happen now."

Portnoy called Lewan's about-face "disgusting" and mocked Lewan and his podcast for becoming "PBS" with their reporting, meaning they were giving "softball interviews" after leaving Barstool Sports.

Lewan and his "Bussin' with the Boys" co-host Will Compton said Mahomes wasn't a fan of Barstool Sports because of their incendiary remarks about his family, including his wife and brother.

"Dave did not understand that Patrick is openly not a fan of Barstool Sports," Lewan said. "And when he was confused about it, it's like, 'Dave, just watch what your company posts.'"

Portnoy subsequently described Lewan as "absolutely on his knees" for Mahomes and called him a "p***y" for his interaction with the quarterback.

Portnoy soon got his revenge, however, after Mahomes Sr. got into a semi scuffle with Rocker during Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans.

A video post to X showed Rocker, 50, and Mahomes Sr., 54, in a tussle on Bourbon Street, resulting in Rocker calling his counterpart a "loser" who "can't take a joke."

Portnoy's plot ultimately unfolded when he announced in a social media video that he had signed Rocker and Mahomes Sr. to a boxing match in April. He then offered to reserve a seat for the Chiefs star at the event.

"Just to show that I don't have grudges, I know Patty Mahomes, the Super Bowl guy, the guy who just got his doors blown off, said he hated Barstool. Well, now your dad's fighting in our company, against John Rocker. So I'm gonna save a seat, free of charge."

Portnoy added, "That's an open invite. You say you don't like us, I get your dad to fight John Rocker."

Mahomes Sr. was a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins before being converted to a reliever. He bounced around between different teams until his last year in the majors in 2003.

Rocker, on the other hand, was a rockstar reliever for the Atlanta Braves until he was eventually pushed out of baseball for remarks about there being too many foreigners in New York City.

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Andrew Chapados

Andrew Chapados

Andrew Chapados is a writer focusing on sports, culture, entertainment, gaming, and U.S. politics. The podcaster and former radio-broadcaster also served in the Canadian Armed Forces, which he confirms actually does exist.
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