The Ohio State University has banned Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy from entering Ohio Stadium during his scheduled appearance on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.
The ban extends to Barstool Sports being barred from the campus entirely, though Portnoy will still participate in the broadcast outside the stadium.
As a devoted Michigan fan, Portnoy has a history of trolling Ohio State, which likely contributed to the decision amid the fierce rivalry between the two schools.
Sources told Front Office Sports, which broke the story, that Portnoy is “not welcome inside the Horseshoe,” essentially because he is an avid and quite vocal fan of their most hated rival.
“Portnoy is a Michigan grad and has been a persistent troll of Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day, ratcheting up his remarks over the last several years amid the Wolverines’ winning streak over the Buckeyes,” the outlet writes.
People are saying it’s Charmin soft of Ohio State to ban Dave Portnoy from the stadium. While that’s true, the bigger issue is how dumb it is. You think this shows him? You just played right into his hand. Unlimited ammo. He will never ever let this down. #dumb #andsoft pic.twitter.com/fJLxDeHQK6
— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) August 26, 2025
Dave Portnoy must be loving This
As a fan first, I don’t think there’d be anything I’d love more than to be so despised by my rival that they’d take the extraordinary step of banning me from their stadium. Portnoy is going to eat this up.
The Big Noon Kickoff show is set to air from Columbus ahead of the Buckeyes’ season opener against top-ranked Texas.
Fox had anticipated potential issues with Dave Portnoy’s involvement and never planned for him to enter the stadium.
This all seems a bit ridiculous. Fox is paying Portnoy for his analysis and entertainment, and he can’t get into the stadium of the reigning National Champs? And seriously, Ohio State? If he showed up in the Horseshoe, your fans would have an absolute field day poking fun at him. Give them that opportunity!
Portnoy reacted on social media with humor, posting a disguised photo of himself.
https://t.co/iZtAt2rGDw pic.twitter.com/V5NotTorNy
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 26, 2025
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Connor Stalions weighs In
How incredible is that disguise? Portnoy is clearly taking a jab by calling back to the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, of which he has been a big fan of his team’s actions.
Connor Stalions, an ex-Michigan staffer who played a pivotal role in the Wolverines’ scandal, was accused of orchestrating the elaborate sign-stealing operation that tainted the team’s championship season in 2023.
Over three years, Stalions allegedly bought tickets to more than 30 Big Ten games, including games involving Michigan’s opponents and potential playoff contenders. He even reportedly attended a Michigan State-Central Michigan game wearing a fake mustache and Chippewas gear – a blatant and brazen violation of NCAA rules.
Portnoy has celebrated the cheater as a hero. And Stalions joked that he could perhaps get Dave into Ohio Stadium by buying him tickets.
You’d think Fox would advise Portnoy to tone down the celebration of a blatant cheat of the integrity of the game.
Stalions received an eight-year show-cause order restricting him from athletically related activities, Harbaugh was given a 10-year show-cause order, and current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was hit with a two-year show-cause with three total game suspensions (two in 2025 and one in 2026).
The Michigan football program was placed on four years of probation, hit with fines exceeding $20 million, and given a 14-week ban on recruiting communications.