‘She’s a Total Coward’ – Dave Portnoy Goes Ballistic On Cathy Engelbert After She Snubs Dan Patrick’s Show
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has received plenty of flak from fans, analysts, and even politicians over the way superstar Caitlin Clark has been treated.
Barstool founder and CEO Dave Portnoy has now joined in on the criticism, hitting out at Engelbert for canceling her scheduled interview on the “Dan Patrick Show” at the last minute.
Dave Portnoy Blasts WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for Canceling Interview at the Last Minute
Journalist Dan Patrick was set to interview Engelbert last week. However, after waiting for two hours, they were apparently told the WNBA Commissioner was not allowed to do the interview by the league’s PR team.
As the interview was canceled at the last minute, Portnoy hit out at Engelbert for skipping on answering the tough questions.
“They asked Cathy Engelbert to come on the show. She was coming on the show. She’s late, she’s not showing up. They’re sitting around waiting for her. They’re sending emails. Then they just get a feeble response like, ‘Sorry, her PR team basically said she can’t do the interview.’ Meanwhile, they do a pan, she’s 200 yards away practicing her chip shots out of the bunkers… It’s a total lie, total cop out,” Portnoy said on “Wake Up Barstool” on Monday.
Portnoy did not hold back as he criticized Engelbert for the way she had handled things over the last few years.
“She’s a total coward. She has mismanaged the league from the word go, the second Caitlin Clark got in here. They haven’t known how to handle it. She doesn’t know how to answer questions… She is a disaster,” Portnoy added.
Engelbert, who was appointed the WNBA’s first-ever commissioner in 2019, has been under the spotlight in recent months over her handling of player safety in the league. She has also faced criticism for the way Clark has been treated since being drafted into the WNBA in 2024.
Several members of the U.S. Congress also signed a letter earlier this month, calling for Engelbert and the league to explain why Clark was being targeted by opposition defenses with hostility and physical defending. They gave Engelbert and the WNBA till July 24 to issue a response.
This abrupt decision to cancel her scheduled appearance and finally answer some tough questions will do little to quell concerns that the WNBA world has developed in recent months about the league’s direction under Engelbert at the helm.
