Dave Portnoy Saddened By Death Of 32-Year-Old Barstool Employee
Dave Portnoy and the Barstool Sports family are mourning the loss of one of their own this week.
Jonathan Stanko, a senior production assistant at the company since May 2021, passed away on Monday after a brief battle with cancer. Stanko was 32. On May 10, 2024, Stanko announced his diagnosis, stage four Adenocarcinoma gastric cancer, on the same day he was about to begin his first round of chemotherapy.
"On Monday, April 29th, I was diagnosed with stage four Adenocarcinoma gastric cancer," Stanko wrote. "Today, Friday, May 10th, is my first day of Chemotherapy. In a span of two weeks, everything has changed. It’s impossible to quantify. It’s impossible to feel."
Stanko was married in July and leaves behind a wife. This afternoon, Portnoy paid tribute to his late employee on X/Twitter.
"Really sad news from the world of Barstool. We lost Jonathan Stanko to cancer yesterday morning," Portnoy wrote. "He was 32 years old and leaves behind a wife. He worked in our NY offices for close to 4 years and was well liked by literally everybody he worked with. (Very rare at Barstool). It’s the 1st time we’ve had to deal with something this heavy in the 20 years of Barstool. A cruel reminder not to take a day for granted because tomorrow isn’t promised to anybody. #stankostrong."
ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: Detail view of Barstool Sports flag flying over tailgate activities at New Era Field before the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 16-10. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
A 2010 graduate of Pomperaug High School in Connecticut and a 2014 graduate of Iona University, Stanko worked as an assistant director of athletic communications at his alma mater from August 2015 until accepting the position at Barstool.
Tributes have been pouring in from around the Barstool world, from employees and fans alike.
"Truly heartbreaking and so incredibly unfair. Stanko was the best and an important part of everything we do at Barstool. An incredible talent and great friend to everyone. We’ll miss him dearly. Rest in Peace and f--- Cancer. #StankoStrong," wrote Barstool Big Cat.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Stanko's family and friends during this difficult time.
