Many of the things that Dave Portnoy does are faked or exaggerated for the sake of entertainment. But the longstanding tensions between Portnoy\u2019s company, Barstool Sports, and the NFL are very real.<\/p>\n
After the league handed down its ruling on the \u201cDeflategate\u201d scandal and suspended New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for four games in 2015, Portnoy handcuffed himself to the front desk of NFL HQ in New York City and was arrested.<\/p>\n
A couple of years later, the NFL refused to credential Barstool for the Super Bowl, citing the sit-in as the reason<\/a>.\u00a0Pardon My Take host PFT Commenter was even escorted out of Super Bowl Media Day<\/a> by security in 2019.<\/p>\n The same year, Portnoy was kicked out of New England\u2019s historic 28-3 comeback win over Atlanta, despite attending the game as a fan in the crowd.<\/p>\n Along the way, Barstool sold merchandise<\/a> with Roger Goodell\u2019s face made up as a clown, crashed league conference calls, and more. The brand\u2019s hostile relationship with the NFL was arguably one of the biggest things that helped it develop national notoriety, as core to Barstool\u2019s identity as betting or Saturdays.<\/p>\n Now, it may be over.<\/p>\n Suddenly, on Monday, with the Patriots back in the Super Bowl and Portnoy reveling in it<\/a>, \u201cEl Presidente\u201d posted on X that the ban \u201chas been lifted.\u201d<\/p>\n Breaking: I\u2019m hearing that the NFL ban on Barstool Sports has been lifted. It feels like the end of Rocky IV. This hasn\u2019t been 100% confirmed but the Cold War may be over.<\/p>\n \u2014 Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n