Regardless of who made the call, this much seems clear: Dave Portnoy won’t be inside of Ohio Stadium during his Big Noon Kickoff debut on Saturday.
But while Ohio State has since insisted it didn’t “ban” the Barstool Sports founder from appearing inside the Horseshoe, at least one of his new Fox colleagues seems to have his doubts.
Hours after Front Office Sports first broke the story of Portnoy not being welcome at Ohio Stadium, Big Noon Kickoff analyst Brady Quinn appeared on The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan. And when it came to the subject of the Buckeyes reportedly banning the Boston native, the former Notre Dame quarterback didn’t seem to buy the idea that this was solely a Fox decision.
“I don’t know what the hell’s going on,” Quinn said. “I will say this — I’m not going to say ‘in defense’— but we’ve had people who are not on our desk to start our show be on the desk in the stadium. It’s a tight fit but we’ve done it. I’ll put it this way: Matthew McConaughey is going to be there. I’m pretty sure he’ll be on the desk inside the stadium.”
Quinn’s comments regarding the Big Noon Kickoff desk come in reference to Ohio State’s claim that Fox’s plans don’t call for Portnoy to be a part of the program’s primary panel, which hosts the final hour of the show from inside the host’s stadium. The Dublin, Ohio, native, however, isn’t buying it and appears to believe that the Buckeyes’ justification is more a matter of them covering their tracks.
“I don’t know what damage control Ohio State’s doing. How much validity there is to it, if he actually was banned or if this is all just made-for-TV,” Quinn continued. “What I do know is that there’s room for one more at the desk. We’ve had coaches, players, other people on. So wherever Front Office Sports got that report from, someone doesn’t want him in the stadium. And I know Ohio State wasn’t happy about the hire, so it feels like they’re doing a bit of damage control right now.
“I just think it’s all petty, it’s all ridiculous if that’s the case. It’s fun, it’s a great game. Why are we focusing on this off-the-field crap when we’ve got the greatest matchup to start a season I think we’ve ever seen in college football history?”
📞”It’s all petty. It’s a great game. Why are we focusing on this off the field crap when we have the greatest matchup to start a season in college football history?”@Brady_Quinn on @FOS reporting that Ohio State has BANNED @stoolpresidente from attending their season opener. pic.twitter.com/oMFqZZb1SA
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 26, 2025
Quinn’s comments only lend credence to the idea that Portnoy was, in fact, banned by Ohio State, as the 48-year-old has insisted all along. As the former Cleveland Browns quarterback tells it, there’s no reason to think that Portnoy not being a part of the pregame show’s main panel should preclude him from also being inside the stadium.
But regardless of how all of this came about, it’s hard to view it as anything but a massive win for Fox from a publicity standpoint. And it will certainly be interesting to see how the Buckeyes’ relationship with the Big Ten’s top media partner plays out from here, as Columbus effectively serves as Big Noon Kickoff’s homebase throughout the season.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.