A 20-year-old man accused of shouting an antisemitic remark at Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, has been charged with disturbing the peace in Mississippi, according to police.
The Starkville Police Department announced that a warrant was issued over the weekend for Patrick McClintock, a junior mechanical engineering major at Mississippi State University, per the university’s student newspaper, The Reflector.
Authorities confirmed McClintock was formally charged on Monday, Nov. 10.
Portnoy, who is Jewish, had been filming a “One Bite” pizza review in Starkville when a passerby allegedly shouted the slur on Friday, Nov. 7, CBS News reported.
According to a statement from the Starkville Police Department, officers were alerted to a circulating video “depicting an individual yelling an antisemitic statement and throwing coins toward another person outside a local business” that same day.
“Every person has the right to feel safe and respected in our community,” the department said. “Offensive words alone are protected, but when behavior disrupts a public event or risks violence, the Starkville Police Department will take steps to help maintain safety and security.”
Officials added that “the State of Mississippi allows courts to impose enhanced penalties if a violation meets the criteria for bias-motivated or discriminatory reasons,” noting that the case remains under investigation.
In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning — recorded before the incident — Portnoy said he experiences antisemitic hate on a near-daily basis.
“It’s every day now,” he said. “There’s a definitive shift in what’s going on.”
Police said McClintock was processed and later released.
