The pizza frenzy between Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and a Washington Post reporter has sparked former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason to share his two cents about the situation.
Portnoy is set to host a “One Bite Pizza Festival” in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 23.
The Post reporter, Emily Heil, is claimed to have sent emails to advertisers about the event for a story on “how some of the sponsors and participants have drawn criticism by seeming to associate themselves with Dave Portnoy, who has a history of misogynistic comments and other problematic behavior,” according to an email screenshot Portnoy published on the Barstool website
He took issue with the alleged emails and contacted the Heil on a phone call that he recorded and later posted on social media on Wednesday.
The often outspoken Esiason, now a co-host for WFAN, described the details from the recorded phone conversation as an “absolute, obvious” example of what he labeled “cancel culture syndrome,” according to FOX News.
“The real question is do you think Dave Portnoy has ever called somebody who’s advertising within the Washington Post and says, ‘Do you know what these people are doing behind the backs of everyone else?’” the 1988 NFL MVP said. “It’s a one-way street.”
Esiason also said the situation was an example of being “woke.”
Portnoy said on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I Caught Wind That The Washington Post Was Writing A Hit Piece About Me And My Pizzafest So I Did What I Do. I Went On The Offensive.”
On the call, he claimed he didn’t believe the Post would give him a fair story and that Heil was trying to “shame sponsors.”
After the phone call was revealed on social media, Heil canceled a scheduled interview while they were speaking on the phone, according to Portnoy.
He said he was also asked to reschedule.
Esiason, 62, was drafted in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Bengals. The Maryland alum was under center in Cincinnati for seasons, followed by stints with the Jets and Cardinals.
Esiason spent his final NFL season in 1997 back with the Bengals.
He earned four Pro Bowl nods and during his tenure in Cincinnati, he collected 27,149 passing yards for 187 touchdowns.
In 1988, he won the AP MVP and led the Bengals to an appearance in Super Bowl XXIII, which ended in a 20-16 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
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