Ohio State denies banning Dave Portnoy from stadium for opener

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Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports founder and recent addition to Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, won’t be allowed inside Ohio Stadium this weekend. The only question is who made the decision.

Front Office Sports reported Monday night that Ohio State banned Portnoy — a controversial media figure and outspoken Michigan fan — from entering the stadium when the No. 3 Buckeyes face No. 1 Texas in the season opener on Saturday.

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork responded Tuesday by telling Yahoo Sports the school did not make that decision. Bjork said Fox decided Portnoy would not appear “on the main desk” during his “Big Noon Kickoff” debut, and those not part of the main desk before the game don’t normally get to enter the field.

A spokesperson from the Big Ten Conference also told Yahoo that its understanding from Fox was that Portnoy would not appear on the pregame show’s main stage inside the stadium of any conference school this season.

Portnoy threw water on those claims on social media and tried to appeal to Ohio State fans while taking aim at their football program.

“I want Michigan vs Ohio to mean something again. And I love the people of Columbus outside the football team they root for. Good clean hardworking people,” Portnoy wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “So I am going to give Buckeye Nation free advice. Stop pointing the finger. Look in the mirror. Get better. Get tougher.

“Ohio State should stop worrying about Michigan,” he said in another post. “Focus on Texas. Big game coming up. Don’t let your Michigan inferiority complex destroy your entire season.”

Michigan is unranked to start the season but has defeated Ohio State in four straight meetings, including 13-10 in Columbus last season, when the Wolverines were unranked and before the then-No. 2 Buckeyes went on to win the national championship.

–Field Level Media