Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, has publicly disputed the account of former employee Pat McAfee regarding the reasons for McAfee's 2018 departure from the company. Portnoy stated in an interview with Front Office Sports' Ryan Glasspiegel that McAfee's claims of feeling disrespected by Barstool's business operations were "were blown out of proportion."

McAfee, who joined Barstool after retiring from the NFL in 2017, left the company approximately 18 months later. At the time of his departure, McAfee wrote on social media that he felt disrespected by the business people within the company and no longer wished to make money for them. He also stated that financial decisions were being made without his knowledge and that the transparency of dealings had become obsolete and expensive.

Portnoy acknowledged that the situation may have stemmed from a commission check being delayed. He explained that McAfee's compensation structure, where he received 50% of sales deals he closed, differed from the structure for Barstool's own content like "Pardon My Take," which Barstool owned 100% of. This arrangement, Portnoy suggested, could have created a "natural distrust" in the sales department, as they might prioritize directing clients to Barstool-owned content over McAfee's ventures.

"I think he probably was always going to leave. He’s a super ambitious guy. Super talented guy. But that was the reason he publicly gave — that he couldn’t trust our business side anymore," Portnoy said. He added, "I don’t think our business side did anything wrong. I think he kind of blew it out of proportion, but that is the reason he gave."

McAfee, who has since built a significant media presence and now hosts a show with ESPN earning a reported $17 million annually, maintained at the time of his exit that while Portnoy and Barstool's Erika Nardini were fair, he was disrespected by others in the company's business operations. He stated, "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 Sports has since launched other successful content creators and shows, including "Pardon My Take" and previously "Call Her Daddy."