Rusty Weiss
Barstool Sports founder and outspoken New England Patriots superfan Dave Portnoy has sparked controversy. That’s not new. He does that often. It’s what he’s ticked off over (or who he’s ticked off at) that is a bit surprising.
Portnoy is calling for the removal of Tom Brady‘s statue outside Gillette Stadium.
In a heated rant on his Wake Up Barstool show, Portnoy expressed mounting frustration with what he perceives as repeated slights from Brady toward the franchise.
The Patriots legend, honored with a bronze statue commemorating his six Super Bowl victories and two-decade tenure with the team, now faces backlash from one of his most vocal supporters.
The latest flashpoint stems from allegations that Brady, a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, influenced or was reluctant to approve a potential trade of star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Patriots, where former teammate Mike Vrabel serves as head coach.
Instead, Crosby was (very briefly) dealt to the Baltimore Ravens.
Crosby landed with the Ravens in a blockbuster trade on Saturday instead https://t.co/MUM1UMscJP
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 8, 2026
Portnoy described the Crosby drama as part of a “broken record” pattern of Brady distancing himself from New England.
“It’s starting to feel like a broken record,” Portnoy said. “It seems like Tom Brady keeps slighting the Patriots over and over again.”
“We just put up a statue of the guy,” he added. “Maybe it’s time to tear it down.”
If Tom Brady is going to keep doing stuff that slights the Patriots, we need to tear his statue down. Thanks for the Super Bowls, but I’m done with this crap pic.twitter.com/VlV8NIDO6O
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) March 9, 2026
Dave Portnoy Calls to Tear Down Tom Brady Statue Over Alleged Patriots Slights and Maxx Crosby Trade Drama
Portnoy, a Massachusetts native and longtime die-hard Patriots enthusiast, emphasized gratitude for Brady’s contributions while urging fans to move on.
“It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t care about us anymore,” Portnoy said. “Maybe we shouldn’t care about him either.”
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“Thank you for your Super Bowls. You’re just a guy. Go play in your flag football games,” a bitter Portnoy continued his rant. “Go be in a million different ads, but I don’t need you in my life anymore, and you don’t need us.”
In the end, maybe Brady did his old franchise a favor.
The Ravens backed out of their blockbuster trade agreement to acquire Crosby after he failed his physical due to concerns related to his ongoing recovery from January’s meniscus knee surgery.
He has since returned to the Raiders.