Getty Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy
While the Super Bowl media day action featured plenty of great quotes and cool storylines, the NFL decided to drop the hammer on Barstool Sports. But it didn’t happen before founder Dave Portnoy and the rest of his team could get a few questions in and ruffle a few feathers in the process.
As Jeremy Layton of the New York Post detailed, Barstool has been banned from NFL events since 2015 after Portnoy and three employees were arrested at league headquarters for a protest over Deflategate. And yet, Portnoy and company seemed to have little issue finding their way into Super Bowl media day thanks to fake credentials.
It appears both men created fake credentials to get into the Super Bowl’s media night. Portnoy tweeted a picture of his, a fake NFL Media employee named “Frannie Lydon,” aka Portnoy with a fake mustache and a hat that says “I <3 Goodell.”
Here’s a look at Portnoy being removed from the event, still wearing the glorious “I <3 Goodell” hat. This reportedly came before the New England Patriots had arrived.
Not good for @barstoolsports and @stoolpresidente – right before the Pats arrive.
Along with the Barstool founder, the man known as PFT Commenter (Eric Sollenberger) was also removed. Sollenberger told TMZ that he had been arrested for criminal trespassing, while Portnoy stated in a NSFW video that he was charged with criminal trespassing also but not arrested.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Gets to Show Love to Barstool
Although Portnoy and Sollenberger were booted from the event, it didn’t stop Patriots owner Robert Kraft from letting the world know that he loves Barstool Sports.
“I love Barstool Sports”
-Robert Kraft
It’s tough to blame Kraft for backing the site who had his own back during the Deflategate drama that still lingers over the Patriots franchise. Portnoy is an avid fan of the team and has made plenty of headlines relating to the team. He even went as far as holding a press conference to announce his decision to stop smoking weed in support of recently-acquired wide receiver Josh Gordon.
EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE: Josh Gordon is a New England Patriot
Portnoy Vows to Attend Super Bowl
While the NFL is doing is all to hold the Barstool Sports team in check, they seem to have zero interest in going down without a fight. Being thrown out of media day, arrested and charged with criminal trespassing is all put aside for Portnoy, as he revealed plans to attend the Super Bowl on Sunday.
I will not be the let myself be intimidated, bullied and harassed. If I do that’s how @nflcommish wins.
After all, if he’s not in attendance, who’s going to make sure Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh doesn’t hurt Tom Brady? That’s a very real concern for Portnoy, so he decided to address it with Suh himself prior to being kicked out.
Not surprisingly, the Rams defender had little interest in answering that question and opted to go with a “have a nice day” response instead.
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