Think of how someone would prove this is even a real issue. It would be a pain in the butt. A sight window or sight tube on the side of the pan with a camera mounted in the engine bay, while a willing participant launches the car knowing full well they might starve their bearings and ruin the engine. I suppose someone could do it on a test stand too if they were nice enough and had extra time on their hands.

I don't know about you, but I've never heard of anybody testing this claim, and I think its perfectly reasonable to be skeptical until someone presents some evidence. Trashed bearings by themselves are not good enough. Quite a few things can ruin a bearing.