Tuesday’s Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets podcast episode began with an unexpected announcement, with Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette announcing that co-host Brian “RA” McGonagle is taking an extended leave from the show.
“RA’s going to take a little bit of a break from the show for the summer,” Whitney said. “He never really has had a break.”
“Since this pod started, and he is the Godfather, he hasn’t really been able to get time off,” Bissonnette added. “Just given everything that’s going on in RA’s personal life right now, if he wants to maybe divulge a little bit more of the details of that — I just think he needs a little break.
“He needs to be able to go away and address some of his personal stuff. And we love him. And as I said, he’s the Godfather of this podcast, so we are looking forward to when we come back around for the regular season… he’s going to be rolling back around then. Everybody deserves a break at some point. Some people have been barking online quite a bit about the crazy run that we’ve been on, especially in the last month. And I think, really, we all need a little bit of rest.”
In a blog for Barstool Sports posted on Tuesday, McGonagle opened up about some of the circumstances that led to his leave. The Spittin’ Chiclets founder pointed to the show’s recent run of traveling throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and NHL Draft, his history with alcohol, and recent divorce as contributing factors.
“Life throws curveballs at everyone. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, I could never hit a curveball. So I finally made an appointment with a batting coach to hopefully rectify that,” RA wrote. “Probably should have put myself on the couch about 30 years ago, but, like a great philosopher once said, it is what it is. Better late than never.
“This trip over the finish line that was the 2023-24 NHL season isn’t exactly how I planned on ending the Year of the Warthog. But you know what? I f***ed up. I’ll dust myself off. And because I know my boys got my back, I’ll climb back on the saddle and I’ll see you in September.”
RA’s temporary leave comes weeks after he was shunned from the Florida Panthers’ postgame celebration following their championship-clinching victory in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final after taking a pro-Edmonton Oilers stance throughout the series.
Here’s to hoping he gets the help and continued support he needs.
[Spittin’ Chiclets, Barstool Sports]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.