The Barstool-PENN Entertainment marriage — now really more of a one-sided affair, as PENN has assumed full control of the Dave Portnoy-founded brand — faced its toughest test Wednesday when PENN fired Ben Mintz, host of the popular show, for uttering a racial slur while singing along to recorded music.
Mintz was rapping to “1st of Tha Month” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony when he uttered the N-word while singing along. As a result, the longtime Barstool employee was fired by PENN, which fully acquired Barstool Sportsbook this past February for $388 million, after paying $163 million over three years ago for a 36% stake in the company.
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool sports and face of Barstool Sportsbook, was none too pleased with the decision (emphasis added):