FOX Sports quickly drops Dave Portnoy and Barstool from flagship college football show
FOX Sports quickly drops Dave Portnoy and Barstool from flagship college football show
Jeremy Goldstein Sat, October 3, 2026 at 2:08 AM UTC
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Dave Portnoy won't be part of FOX's Big Noon Kickoff moving forward -Credit:Ed Mulholland, Getty Images for Netflix
Barstool CEO Dave Portnoy has been dropped from FOX's Big Noon Saturday coverage when the University of Minnesota faces his alma mater, Michigan, this weekend.
The 49-year-old learned on Friday that he would no longer feature on the network's pregame broadcast. The FOX Sports program currently features host Rob Stone, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, former Alabama running back Mark Ingram, former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, and former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn.
Portnoy and other Barstool figures only began appearing on the show in 2025. In a post published moments before The Athletic ran a story on the matter, Portnoy revealed that the "juice wasn't worth the squeeze" for FOX. It comes after Meyer called for a ban after a crude celebration in front of Donald Trump.
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"Just was told [that Athletic writer] Andrew Marchand is about to release an article saying I've been put on ice for [Big Noon Kickoff]," he posted to his nearly four million followers.
"I havent seen the article yet and he didnt call me for a quote but i can sum it up this way Ohio State and Ryan Day b----ed and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox till they had no choice [sic].
"Juice wasnt worth the squeeze and frankly I dont blame them. Huge dollars at stake and you have Cryin Ryan throwing temper tantrums amd making threats every few days on something I said."
Portnoy and his Barstool crew appeared on Big Noon Kickoff for over a year -Credit:FOX/Big Noon Kickoff
Portnoy's time on the show got off to a rocky start after he was reportedly barred from the Ohio State campus ahead of the opening game of the 2025 college football season.
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The Barstool founder — never shy to throw shade at the Big Ten giants — pointed the finger at both Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and the university for the ban, though Ohio State maintained that it was FOX that had requested he stay away from campus for the game.
Portnoy addressed the drama directly in his tweet. "I always knew Ryan Day was soft but holy s--- even I didnt realize he was this soft. The Barstool College Football will continue on," he continued.
"Maybe we'll even see you in Columbus where contrary to popular belief most fans love the rivalry and arent p------ like Cryin Ryan."
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Portnoy frequently served as the Michigan representative on Big Noon Sunday to provide balance against figures like Meyer, a former national champion at Ohio State.
FOX initially teamed up with the Big 10 in 2007 and extended its agreement with the conference in 2022 through a seven-year, $7 billion deal. The broadcaster has televised the conference's championship game annually since 2011.
Barstool personalities, including Portnoy and his No. 2, Dan "Big Cat" Katz, will still continue on FS1's Wake Up Barstool program.
It comes after Aaron Rodgers was immediately put down by his Pittsburgh Steelers coach after a vulgar on-field tantrum.
Source: “AOL Sports”
