Dave Portnoy apologizes to staff after vowing not to 'bend the knee' to viral mob over resurfaced remarks
From WWW.FOXNEWS.COM
Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy offered an apology to his employees over resurfaced remarks he made about Colin Kaepernick after previously vowing he would not "bend the knee" to the viral mob.
On Monday, Portnoy remained defiant in response to "cancel culture" when a 2016 clip from Barstool Sports' "The Rundown" was amplified by critics showing Portnoy comparing the then-San Francisco 49er quarterback to an "ISIS guy" and saying he looked "Arabic."
He defended his remarks, insisting it was "literally a joke from 'The Office'," while acknowledging they wouldn't be tasteful today and dismissed his critics who he thought were "haters" who had wanted to get rid of him for years.
However, on Thursday's "emergency press conference," Portnoy struck a drastically different tone with a video message mostly addressing his own staff.
"I really viewed it as pure Barstool haters ... it's more about how much they f---in' hate me. It's the same thing they've been doing for two decades... and I wasn't going to apologize because I knew I was trying to be funny. I wasn't trying to offend. The intent was to make people laugh," Portnoy said. "Here's what happened: unbeknownst to me and something I didn't plan on doing, I alienated a lot of the people who work for me now."
The Barstool Sports CEO explained that over the years his company has hired more minorities and women, who he said their followers began attacking them over the remarks and stressed how they shouldn't have to "defend" him or working for the company.
"I did a very poor job in that first video making it clear who I believe I was responding to, which is just pure Barstool haters," Portnoy continued. "I don't care what people who don't know me think about me. I care very much about people who do know me and work at Barstool and if they're bringing up concerns and issues, I'll always f---in' listen. And they have been bringing up the issues. They're like, 'You have to admit this is f---in' wrong.'"
"And guess what, I'm listening to what everybody in the room is saying. It's one of the great developments of Barstool. Unlike when I started, I have enough dissenting voices now where I can listen. And listening to these guys, I want to have their f---in' backs and will learn and I will be f---in' better. I'll never f---i... (Read more)
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