Dave Portnoy has a sixth sense for sniffing out a headline and modifying it just enough so that everyone is arguing about it. That’s literally his superpower and is definitely a part of what makes him charismatic (unpopular opinion, we know). So when, recently, he was face-to-face with a question concerning Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, he did what he does best. He made a moment out of it.
For context, he is fresh off the Ohio State/Ryan Day controversy, where it was believed that he was banned from ‘The Shoe’ because of Ryan Day, and then the entire back and forth between Fox and OSU, and ultimately Portnoy posing in a “still can’t beat Michigan” t-shirt with a fake mustache. Portnoy usually loves controversy, but there is one couple where he draws the line, and that’s Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson.
In his #AskDave segment, a fan tried to stir his mind by asking a rather inappropriate question. The question was, “Does Belichick’s girlfriend leave him for Scott Frost after UCF smokes UNC?” The host asked Portnoy not to answer this question, but Dave, being Dave, answered it, but this time, he didn’t take the bait. He said, “I’ll say this loud and clear. I’m friends with Jordon, I’m afraid of Jordon, and I will not talk any junk about Jordon.”Awfully mature of him, right?
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But listen to this. A couple of months ago, Dave detailed an encounter with Jordon Hudson on The Unnamed Show, and he said, “Am I afraid of her? No. Am I going to sit here and get out and say she’s the craziest person I have ever seen? No. Because I don’t want it to be awkward when I’m carrying my watermelon from Shop&Stop, and I bump into her.” But now, it seems like he definitely is afraid of her. That’s a 180 in just a few months. That’s not all, though. He continued with a kicker, “She’s with Bill for life; it’s true love,” protecting the couple’s position while making sure that everything he says is seen as playful rather than an attack on Jordon. That’s a totally different side of a master provocateur who has an eye for making everything a headline.
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And in the next line, he became Jordon’s proponent and said, “Dancing with the Stars made a big mistake by not having her on; she had to quit the show.” Now, we’re not sure what’s going on here, but this is classic Dave being sarcastic and yet taking every step extremely carefully. This is not the regular I-will-say-what-I-want Dave Portnoy. We have to give it to Jordon. She’s got a thing for influencing people. Well, the Jordan-Belichick saga is catnip for the internet, and Portnoy is riding that exact wave without wiping himself out in the process.
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Safety under the lights
In the wake of Utah’s tragic shooting, the airing of a live show without a roof feels different. And that applies to sports shows built on that environment of joy, noise, and shoulder-to-shoulder contact, too. USC insider Josh Graham has put out a fair assessment of this situation. He said, “The tragic news in Utah makes me think about the future of events held in open, outdoor spaces—even sports shows like GameDay. If you’re a polarizing figure like Dave Portnoy or Pat McAfee, how could you feel comfortable being among thousands of people on a campus right now?” And that question is exactly what he should ask us.
If people can’t handle polarizing views, especially in a subjective world of sport, then how do broadcasters be themselves? But Knoxville’s primetime scene reflected this concern with a fix. Lining up was not allowed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and for the fan pit, 6:30 a.m. Having these windows are essential for everyone’s safety. They don’t kill the vibe; they just give everything a structure. The show still remains the same, just with a little tighter choreography designed to keep the risk profile lower.