2024 marks the final full calendar year where Around the Horn will be on ESPN programming. And with only a few weeks left before the start of 2025, Around the Horn regular David Dennis Jr. blew a 200-point lead on the year in epic fashion after he was rightfully called out for his incorrect take about Bill Belichick.
For those who aren’t aware of the scoring system in Around the Horn, panelists receive points for each take they offer that Tony Reali, the host of the show, finds to be a good take. On the other hand, bad takes or points that have already been said by others on the show result in negative points for the panelists.
Last Tuesday, Dennis vehemently shared his opinion that Belichick would not be on UNC’s sideline for the 2024-25 season. In fact, he was so confident that he declared that if he was wrong he would accept being docked 501 points on a later Around the Horn show.
Hmm…….. @DavidDTSS pic.twitter.com/jK6mZZUu6l
— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) December 11, 2024
The rest is of course history… Belichick agreed to a five-year $50 million deal the day after Dennis made his declaration. And on Wednesday’s Around the Horn, it came time for him to own up to his incorrect prediction. But not before Dennis practically begged Tony Reali to simply forget about his past claim.
“You could just not do it,” Dennis jokingly said before the start of Wednesday’s show.
Shortly after, someone behind the scenes informed Dennis that he actually had a significant yearly lead in total points on the show, a lead that would shortly become a significant deficit.
“David, you were also running away with the most total points in 2024 until today.”
“I was,” replied Dennis.
“You had a 200-point lead.”
Before the Horn, the commissioner has come to collect, @DavidDTSS.
-501 on ESPN at 5 ET! https://t.co/X8SKqcNsR5 pic.twitter.com/qEe81YGXEc
— Around the Horn (@AroundtheHorn) December 18, 2024
At the very start of the show, Tony Reali showed no mercy, indeed deducting all 501 points that Dennis wagered with his prediction on the UNC coaching search.
Around the Horn host Tony Reali showed no mercy to David Dennis Jr. after declaring he would wager 501 points that Bill Belichick wouldn’t become the new UNC head coach…😂 pic.twitter.com/uQOyJm7tzS
— SportsClips (@SportsClip4U) December 19, 2024
All of the good takes over 2024 that Dennis made were essentially all for not due to his incorrect prediction on Belichick. And now, Dennis will no longer be the final panelist in the history of Around the Horn to finish with the most points in a single year.
What still remains to be proven is whether Belichick will actually succeed as the head coach at UNC. So perhaps Dennis can be vindicated in the future if Belichick’s tenure at the program isn’t as fruitful as some media pundits have predicted it will be.
