Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy says he has been blocked by WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark after an offhand social-media barb about the Hawkeyes’ former coach, a rift Portnoy blamed on Barstool colleague Rico Bosco during a recent episode of Barstool Live.
Portnoy told viewers that Clark “has blocked me and is now not responding to me,” blaming Bosco for handing him a phone during an encounter that put him at odds with members of the McCaffery family. “You cost me a Caitlin Clark relationship,” Portnoy said on the show, according to a report by Awful Announcing. He recounted that Bosco, who he said has ties to the McCafferys, put the phone in front of him and that the call — which turned out to be from one of Connor McCaffery’s brothers — “did not go well.”
The dispute stems from an X post Portnoy made in praise of current Iowa coach Ben McCollum, writing that it “took 1 year for them to go further than their entire 17 year run with Fran,” a dig at former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. Connor McCaffery, a former Iowa player, is Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend; Portnoy said the family was unhappy with his remark. Portnoy described trying to reach Clark while in Indianapolis for the men’s Final Four, saying, “The phone went to green. I DM’d her. No response. She always responds.”
Bosco told Portnoy on the show that he would try to mend the relationship. “I’ll get that back,” Bosco said, according to Portnoy, promising to work on a truce with the McCaffery family and Clark. Portnoy said he had been hoping to do one of his signature pizza reviews with Clark while in Indianapolis, but that the missed connection and subsequent silence ended those plans.
Clark is preparing for her third season in the WNBA after a historic collegiate career at Iowa. The league and players association approved a new collective bargaining agreement in March, and the 2026 WNBA regular season is scheduled to start on May 8. The Indiana Fever, Clark’s team, open their season on May 9 against the Dallas Wings and star Paige Bueckers.
The episode is the latest example of how Clark’s high profile since entering the WNBA has produced friction and attention beyond the court. Portnoy, who describes himself as both an Indiana Fever and Michigan Wolverines fan, noted his disappointment even as Michigan was competing for an NCAA championship. For now, he said, the relationship that once appeared open to friendly publicity has cooled — and he is publicly pinning the blame on a colleague and a family phone call.