Dave Portnoy Still Upset Over NFL Ban as He Questions Speedy Arrest at NFL HQ’s 2015 Protest

Dave Portnoy never shies away from making it to the headlines by sharing his unfeigned perspective on a multitude of avenues. Along similar lines, he has been critical of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on many an occasion. Portnoy criticized the league’s handling of the ‘Deflategate’ scandal in 2015. That saw the then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suspended for four games.

Ever the Patriots fan, Dave Portnoy and a few of his colleagues from Barstool Sports staged a protest outside the NFL headquarters in New York City. Within hours, the group got arrested and Portnoy was soon after banned from the NFL altogether. What got Portnoy’s goat is that the pro-Palestine students who recently occupied University Hall at Harvard did not have to go to jail. In Portnoy’s book, the ban from all things NFL still stings, as does the treatment afforded the Harvard students.

Dave Portnoy bemoans the ban from all NFL-related things

Dave Portnoy took to his X handle to express his shock. He replied to a thread begun by Steve McGuire, who shared a video of the nine students who staged the sit-in. In it, some of them recounted their demands from the institution. Portnoy wrote, “How come when I occupied NFL Headquarters for an actual legit issue I was in jail like an hour later?”

That sit-in clocked just a little over 24 hours. The students made several demands of the superiors at Harvard. They wanted a conversation with University President Claudine Gay, a promise they would not face disciplinary action, and a written response to their primary demands.

Their primary demands went thus: Harvard’s administration to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, greater administrative support for pro-Palestine student organizers, and the University to stop conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.

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El Presidente’s humanitarian stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza

While many in the celebrity world took sides in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Dave Portnoy went a different way. Being Jewish himself, many expected Portnoy to take a pro-Israel stance. Instead, he took the side of all those set to be affected in any capacity by the conflict. He elaborated further, saying that humanity’s common threads should take center stage instead of the divisive factors.

Dave Portnoy took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon. The unfiltered “El Presidente,” owner of Barstool Sports, showcased his support for all affected by the conflict. He used the words, “It’s not Just About Standing With Israel. It’s About Standing With Humanity Regardless of Race, Religion, or Creed.” Accompanying the post is a picture of the flags of Israel and Palestine being waved by two different people.

It remains to be seen how the crisis is resolved. As things stand, Israel is intent on ending Hamas’ existence so they do not have to deal with another October 7. Only time will tell if there is a speedy resolution to this conflict. For the moment, there appears to be no middle ground.

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