As a public figure with a massive social media following, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is no stranger to threats and abuse online. But recently, the entrepreneur says he’s become “far more aware” of how he could face these threats in everyday life.
“You know, you start getting into these yahoos on social media, and there’s, like, yahoos,” Portnoy told “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil in an interview airing on “CBS Sunday Morning” this weekend. “I don’t even know what they’re saying. But they start talking about me, trying to get my name probably used because they’re just in this endless cycle of needing to stay in the news.”
Conversations about him can quickly spiral online and “open the floodgates on just lunatics,” Portnoy said. In response, the businessman and social media personality said he has installed round-the-clock security at his house. “It only takes one,” Portnoy added.
Recently, a man was overheard on video shouting an antisemitic comment and throwing coins toward Portnoy while he was recording his famous “One Bite” pizza review outside of a Mississippi restaurant. Starkville Police on Monday arrested the alleged heckler, identified as 20-year-old Patrick McClintock, on a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.
“Every person has the right to feel safe and respected in our community. Offensive words alone are protected, but when behavior disrupts a public event or risks violence, the Starkville Police Department will take steps to help maintain safety and security,” the police said in a statement to CBS News, adding that the state could impose enhanced penalties if a violation meets the criteria for bias-motivated or discriminatory reason. The incident remains under investigation.
“Imagine hating somebody just because of their religion in this f—ing country,” Portnoy said in a social media video posted after the incident.
Antisemitic incidents have increased almost 900% in the past 10 years, according to the Anti-Defamation League, in many cases involving violence.
Even before that recent incident, there had been a “definitive shift” toward antisemitism, Portnoy told Dokoupil, adding that it was a form of hate that he experiences on a daily basis.
“For me, being a Jewish person, like, you got to step up,” he said. “You’re kind of someone people look up to in the Jewish community. You have to be, like, ‘All right, this is not normal ha-ha with the guys. People are coming up with real hate.'”