Ohio State is banning Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy from going into Ohio Stadium while he’s there for Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff.”
The Front Office Sports report noted that Barstool Sports is barred from being on the campus and that even though he’s banned from inside the stadium, Portnoy will still appear on “Big Noon Kickoff” on Saturday.
However, the well-known Michigan fan Portnoy will likely not be there for the end of the show, which usually takes place inside the stadium, according to the report.
“Big Noon Kickoff” — Fox’s competitor to ESPN’s “College Gameday” — is broadcasting from Columbus ahead of the Buckeyes’ highly anticipated season opener against No. 1 Texas.
Fox announced last month that Portnoy would be joining its college football show, along with a “wide ranging” deal that included Barstool Sports’ “The Barstool College Football Show” streaming on Fox Sports’ digital channels and on Tubi before “Big Noon Kickoff.”
A source had told Front Office Sports that Fox had anticipated an issue with Portnoy and Ohio State and that it was never in the original plans for the sports media personality to enter the stadium.
“The Barstool College Football Show” will go on as it had previously been planned by Barstool Sports.
A Fox Sports spokesperson declined to comment to Front Office Sports.
The Barstool Sports founder did not remain quiet on the issue once the report was published on Monday night.
Portnoy, a noted Michigan alum who has trolled Ohio State over the years, posted a photo of himself with sunglasses and a mustache on in response to a social media post about the report.
“I love this f–king rivalry*,” Portnoy also wrote on X. “*One team has to win once in awhile for it to be considered a rivalry.”
Dan “Big Cat” Katz, another well-known Barstool personality, called the decision by Ohio State “so so dumb.”
It even drew a response from disgraced former Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal.
Stalions posted on X in reply to a Portnoy post, “You need tickets?”
The topic had apparently been brewing, and Austin Ward of 97.1 and 10TV, who covers Ohio State, revealed during his show, “The Beat with Austin and Birm,” that there had been a “legitimate conversation going” about the subject.
“Dave Portnoy is not welcome in The Horseshoe. Like, period,” Ward said.
Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter also said on the show that there were plenty of people at OSU who were “not all that happy” about Portnoy’s hiring with “Big Noon Kickoff.”
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