Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy will be allowed to attend the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. The decision ends a years-long rift that previously kept the outspoken media personality from the NFL’s marquee event.
An NFL spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports that Portnoy is permitted to purchase a ticket for the game that features the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The change in status was first reported by TMZ.
The apparent unbanning closes a chapter that began during Super Bowl week in 2019. That year, Portnoy, a vocal New England Patriots supporter, was removed from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta during the Patriots’ matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Video of the incident circulated widely after Portnoy mockingly went limp, mimicking what he later described as a “dead fish,” while being escorted out.
Portnoy’s 2019 ejection stemmed from events earlier that week. He had falsified a media credential to attend a Super Bowl-related function. Authorities charged him with criminal trespass following the incident. The episode was not isolated.
In 2017, longtime Barstool podcaster PFT Commenter also falsified a media badge in Houston. The incident followed the outlet being denied credentials. It further strained relations between the digital media brand and the league.
Tensions between Portnoy, Barstool Sports and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stretch back even further. In 2015, following Tom Brady’s suspension in the Deflategate scandal, Portnoy and several Barstool employees protested outside NFL headquarters in New York. Portnoy later escalated the feud by distributing merchandise that depicted Goodell as a clown with a bright red nose.
The company has strengthened its ties to the league’s broader media ecosystem through a partnership with Netflix and FOX Sports. Portnoy’s personal relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft has also remained intact. Now, with the Super Bowl door reopened, one of sports media’s most polarizing figures appears poised to reenter the NFL’s biggest stage as a fan.
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