Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was kicked out of the Super Bowl’s Opening Night Monday (along with colleague PFT Commenter) for fake media credentials, and that also came with three hours of questioning and with criminal trespass warnings if they accessed Mercedes-Benz Stadium again. But after that, long-time Patriots’ fan Portnoy vowed in the Boston Herald that he was still going to go to the game, and he said he already had tickets:
I will not be the let myself be intimidated, bullied and harassed. If I do that’s how @nflcommish wins. pic.twitter.com/H8P0URbrGz
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 30, 2019
That piece includes Portnoy saying “There’s no chance I’m missing the game.” And on Sunday, Portnoy was indeed at the game, tweeting videos from his seat and giving video updates of his thoughts after each quarter. Until he was forcibly ejected:
Pres kicked out pic.twitter.com/2uuaw7OBRH
— Goldy (@mgoldy100) February 4, 2019
Here’s a screengrab of them dragging Portnoy up the stairs:
That video includes yelling (it’s unclear if it’s Portnoy or the people around him) of “This is America!” and “Fuck you!”, plus plenty of booing. And it’s the latest example of a heavy NFL response to something from Barstool. But unlike sneaking into Opening Night, this case was just Portnoy attending the game with a (presumably) legally-obtained ticket, and dragging him out that way could perhaps lead to more problems and more negative PR for the league. We’ll see what comes of this.
Update: Portnoy was released after the game, and released a video complaining about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
[@mgoldy100 on Twitter]
