Pat McAfee Leaving Barstool Sports
By Kyle Koster
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee is leaving Barstool Sports, he announced Friday afternoon. In a long post largely fond of his time with the company, McAfee, who was based in Indiana (some 713 miles from Barstool’s Manhattan headquarters he says), talks about the reasons for his depature.
My time at @barstoolsports will be one I reflect upon fondly. Sometimes adult stuff gets in the way. I’m officially a free agent. pic.twitter.com/ON5KwnFzjc
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 31, 2018
“Financial decisions were being made for me by people I had never met, deals were getting made AND PULLED without my knowledge,” McAfee wrote. “The transparency of everything became obsolete, and also very expensive. I do not place any blame or hold any grudge towards Erika [Nardini] and Dave [Portnoy] for this. They’ve been nothing but nice and fair to me. They paid me very well. This is below them. I began being disrespected by the business people in the building. I don’t want to make money for these folks anymore.”
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy responded with a tweet wishing McAfee the best. He also indicated he’d be flying to the Barstool Heartland offices to discuss its future.
I love + respect Pat. I begged him to stay, but he’s got to do what he thinks is right for him. He’s a complex dude and he rightfully lost some trust in some of our business folks. Ultimately that’s my and Erika’s fault. It sucks to lose such a talented dude. Wish him the best https://t.co/nLCh1626oH
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 31, 2018
Sales and accounting. I’ll discuss when I’m not on a plane. But I certainly wouldn’t say it was intentional. It was a combo of multiple factors and I see multiple point of views. It’s like when a star feels like management doesn’t respect their contributions.That’s what happened https://t.co/9HGZqGaQbA
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 31, 2018
Also I’m flying to Heartland on Tuesday with @PatMcAfeeShow blessings to see what he other heartland guys want to do moving forward
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 31, 2018
Barstool CEO Erika Nardini also expressed regret and some responsibility for the situation not working out.
Pat is an exceptional person and talent. Being part of his transition from a NFLer to a mega-star was a real privilege. I wish this were different and there are things we have to do better here. That’s on me. I hope our paths cross again. https://t.co/UoxJ8kGgnA
— Erika K Nardini (@EKANardini) August 31, 2018
McAfee’s says his future includes podcasting and making videos with his friends. His former colleague PFT Commenter has already offered another free idea.
Pat Mcafee joining the New York Giants and beating the Patriots in the superbowl would be the most incredble storiline and content i n the history of the NFL. Just something to think about @PatMcAfeeShow
— PFTCommenter(DC DEFENDERS2-0) (@PFTCommenter) August 31, 2018
The former kicker’s big personality and proven track record will make him an attractive free agent for outlets looking to make a splash. The post-Barstool path is one not well-trodden, so it will be interesting to see where it leads in this case.