Portnoy perks up
Fine and dandy a day after (maybe) COVID
Dave Portnoy’s COVID-19 scare didn’t last long.
The Barstool Sports founder on Thursday morning posted an update to his Twitter page claiming that he beat the deadly virus, a day after scaring his fans and investors when he revealed he had been “sick as a motherf---er” and bedridden for 40 hours.
“COVID is exactly what I thought it was, it’s the flu. It did a little number on me for a day or two,” Portnoy said on his regular “Dave Day Trader Global” video on Thursday.
Portnoy was vague about his coronavirus diagnosis and never mentioned receiving a COVID-19 test, but added that “the second I realized I had COVID I fell asleep.”
Portnoy sent shares of gambling company Penn National Gaming, which earlier this year bought a 36 percent stake in Barstool for $163 million, on a roller coaster following his claim Wednesday that he was “maybe” sick with the coronavirus.
Shares dipped 1.2 percent following concerns about his health, but rebounded after he said he was on the mend.
Penn National shares on Thursday closed at $56.58, up 3.4 percent
“You know what I did last night? I said ‘Scarpetta, give me 14 spaghettis,’ ” Portnoy said, referring to the luxe Madison Avenue Italian restaurant.
In his earlier videos, Portnoy appeared ashenfaced and had his head propped up by a pillow when he revealed that he had only eaten “an apple” in the previous two days. But the 43-year-old podcaster promised that he would recover.
“Cult leaders don’t f--kng die from COVID,” Portnoy said Wednesday. “That’s a pussy way to go out.”
Last week, Portnoy admitted to The Post that he lost “close to seven figures” on a controversial stock that had landed him in a spat with a short seller.