Ohio State has responded to claims that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy had been banned from entering their stadium for this weekend’s season-opener against Texas.
The news, reported by Front Office Sports on Monday, left Portnoy in limbo days ahead of what should have been his debut appearance in a new role with Fox Sports.
He was set to appear on Big Noon Kickoff for the curtain-raiser on Saturday, that features the Buckeyes against Texas, but according to FOS, he will not be allowed to enter Ohio Stadium.
Barstool and Fox Sports, agreed a wide-ranging collaboration in July that will see Portnoy and other personalities boost coverage around college football and other sports on the network.
But ahead of the 2025 season, the deal already faces a major stumbling block.
Portnoy, an outspoken Michigan grad who frequently takes to social media to troll the Buckeyes and their head coach Ryan Day, is still expected to appear on Big Noon Kickoff, but will not feature for the end of the show inside the stadium, according to a FOS source.
He has already been told how to behave by Fox executives ahead of his debut.
The Barstool College Football Show, which is set to lead into Big Noon for select dates this season, will no longer run as previously planned on Saturday.
Ohio State responds to Portnoy rumors
Following the publication of the FOS report, Ohio State’s Department of Athletics provided a statement refuting the claim that Portnoy, or anyone, had been banned from entering the stadium.
“Ohio State routinely holds planning meetings with media partners and provides input regarding broadcast set-up, kickoff times and other matters,” the statement, shared with talkSPORT, read.
“During planning meetings with Fox regarding Big Noon Kickoff’s visit to campus this week, Fox representatives informed the department that the only talent who would be inside Ohio Stadium for the last hour of the show would be their main set/desk talent team.
“This group comprises their halftime and post-game shows, as well. They informed us that David Portnoy is not part of their ‘main desk’ crew. Ohio State did not ban anyone from our stadium.”
While the school has pushed back on claims, a Fox source also told FOS that the network anticipated issues between Portnoy and Ohio State, and that the original plan did not include him being inside the stadium this weekend.
The issue, though, could continue to run past Week 1 of the season, as Ohio State usually hosts multiple Big Noon games each year.
In 2024, the Big Noon crew travelled to Columbus on four separate occasions.
Portnoy ‘not welcome’ at Ohio Stadium
During a recent podcast appearance, former Buckeyes linebacker Bobby Carpenter — who has been a regular contributor to ESPN and the Pat McAfee Show in recent years — suggested ‘a lot of folks at Ohio State were not happy’ with Portnoy’s Fox deal.
“There’s a legitimate conversation going, about if Big Noon thinks that they’re going to be able to finish their show inside the Horseshoe — Dave Portnoy is not welcome,” host Austin Ward added.
“Like, period. I know there have been conversations about that.”
Fans were also quick to react to the initial news that Portnoy had been ‘barred’ from Ohio Stadium, with opinion split on the decision.
“What an absolute joke. As bad as I can’t stand some of his antics, this is next-level childish from Ohio State,” one person wrote on X.
“This can’t be real? They aren’t THAT soft, are they?” another questioned.
Meanwhile, a third wrote: “This is pretty iconic on the scale of insane rivalry moves.”
Why are Ohio State and Michigan bitter rivals?
The storm around Portnoy and Ohio State comes as little surprise, given the school’s massive rivalry with Michigan.
The two teams face each other annually, and as of 2024, Michigan has the most wins and Ohio State has the second most wins of any program in NCAA Division I football history.
It has been ranked in the past by ESPN as the ‘greatest North American sports rivalry ever’ — and tensions spilled over when the two schools met last November.
After The Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 at The Horseshoe, a group of Michigan players planted their flag on the field, and were confronted Ohio State players.
The skirmish ended with a number of players and coaches bloodied, and several players pepper sprayed by members of law enforcement.
One day later, the Big Ten Conference handed out $100,000 institutional fines against both schools for violating their sportsmanship policy.
As it stands heading into 2025, Michigan is on a four-game winning streak against Ohio State.
While Portnoy will not be inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday, he will likely reference that fact when he appears on the pre-game Big Noon coverage in Columbus.
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