Dave Portnoy was fired up about Braxton Berrios’ Barstool snub

We might live in an age where brands like Barstool Sports are at the center of the cultural conversation, but that doesn’t mean everyone suddenly wants to be associated with the brand.

While some have admitted that engaging with the Barstool brand is a necessary part of the modern conversation, Patrick Mahomes recently inferred that he was more open to appearing on Bussin’ With the Boys now that the podcast was leaving the company. And it sounds like he’s not alone in wanting to distance himself from the bro-centric sports media company.

Barstool owner Dave Portnoy went on a rant recently after Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios was slated to appear on two of the company’s podcasts but canceled at the last minute.

“Braxton Berrios was supposed to be on both those podcasts,” Portnoy said on Barstool Live this week. “He said he’d do it. He was confirmed to do it. Two hours before they send a text, not him, his team, to our PR being like, Braxton Berrios will not work with Barstool. His personal team is preventing him.

“That infuriates me. I hate that. If you don’t want to do it, say you don’t… Put your stamp on it and say Braxton Berrios doesn’t want… Not your personal team. I was trying to get this number to be like, ‘What the f*ck are you doing?'”

To be fair, anyone who has worked in media long enough knows that guests cancel all the time for all kinds of reasons (we have multiple podcasts, we are certainly aware). Also, most people in entertainment and sports use representatives to book their media appearances. So, none of that sounds out of the ordinary.

As for Berrios’s reps saying he will not work with Barstool, we’ll take Portnoy’s word for it, though that may be something that got lost in translation as well. But if that is the case, something tells us it’s not the first time it’s come up with potential guests.

It’s worth noting that he did appear on Barstool’s Mush the Line in 2022, so it’s not like he’s always been opposed.

With the Dolphins wideout developing his own social media brand thanks in part to girlfriend Alix Earle, there might just be some reputation management at play. Whether that came directly from him or from his reps, it’s always hard to tell.