Dave Portnoy speaking on a podcast.Dave Portnoy (Photo via BFF’s Podcast)
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is known for a lot of things that cause controversy, but not many knew that he was battling an illness that could’ve killed him.

Dave Portnoy made a shocking announcement about his health this week when he revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer. However, he defeated it.

The 47-year-old revealed the diagnosis on an episode of “The BFFs Pod” when his co-hosts noted that he had a scar on his neck.

“Do you have a scratch on your neck? Like a cut?” LaPaglia asked.

The 47-year-old replied: “Yeah, cancer. I beat it, though.”

Portnoy told host Brianna LaPaglia that he went to the doctor for a skin check after noticing a mole on his neck, “They scraped it, and one of them came back as cancerous,” he said. “They cut it the f–k out…. I’ve got a scar going all the way down my neck. I look like Frankenstein.”

Portnoy went on to say that it was “only a basal,” which is a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma that starts in the basal cells, a type of cell within the skin that produces new skin cells as old ones die off, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Portnoy provided more information on his X account, saying, “I did have cancer. I beat it,” Portnoy wrote, sharing a video in which he discussed with other Barstool personalities. “It wasn’t the serious kind, thank god.”

Dave Portnoy Paid $1 to Buy Barstool Sports Back In 2023

Portnoy got his company back to its original roots when he paid to buy back Barstool Sports from Penn Entertainment.

It was reported that he paid $1 to take back the company, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Penn Entertainment had originally paid $551 million to acquire Barstool. This was a complete bummer for them, as they lost between $800 million and $850 million on the deal.