Barstool Sports made its biggest hiring splash in company history this week when it was announced that Deion Sanders is joining the media powerhouse, and founder Dave Portnoy is aiming even higher going forward.
TMZ caught up with Portnoy to discuss the Sanders hire, and Portnoy was asked if he had any other big media personalities in mind that he wants to work with at Barstool. He mentioned Charles Barkley without giving it much thought.
“Charles Barkley is, like, the best ever to do it,” Portnoy said. “He’s a guy who — one of the few — he just slings it on TNT and does a great job. That’s the guy that comes to the top of my list.”
Portnoy also said Barstool found out through their connections that Sanders was a bit unhappy at NFL Network, which is how the opportunity arose.
“He couldn’t shoot from the hip. Deion couldn’t be Deion,” Portnoy said. “As he said, he had 20 seconds to get his point across and had to be (politically correct), so he was looking for a place where he could sling it. We got introduced to him, kind of hit it off, and the rest is history.”
Sanders should be a great fit with Barstool, though it should be noted that not all of their splashy hires have worked out. Former NFL punter Pat McAfee joined Barstool Sports when he retired from playing, but he left the company after the partnership went south. Barstool’s decision to hire actor Michael Rapoport turned out to be a disaster.
Barkley is a staple of one of the most popular shows in sports with TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” so we doubt he has plans to leave. The way he gets into it constantly with people would probably make him perfect for Barstool, though.
