ESPN star rips Ohio State coach for handling of | Sports News

ESPN star Rich Eisen has weighed in on Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy lacking this weekend’s Week 1 conflict between Ohio State and Texas at The Horseshoe, with the on-screen persona pointing fingers on the Buckeyes. The 2025 school soccer season begins with a bang, with a rematch of January’s Cotton Bowl taking part in out on the defending national champion’s home turf.

However, Portnoy, an avid sports activities watcher and Barstool Sports chief who’s now a FOX Sports contributor on Big Noon Kickoff, won’t be readily available to watch the 2 CFB juggernauts collide within the Buckeye State. There has been hypothesis and blame as to why Portnoy won’t be on the stadium to cowl the extremely anticipated conflict that may see Arch Manning lead the Longhorns.

The Buckeyes’ athletic director Ross Bjork claims Portnoy isn’t banned and says his omission is a FOX difficulty in that they didn’t credential him for this weekend. Eisen has speculated whether or not Portnoy’s earlier feedback about Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day’s household performed a half.

“Did Ohio State ban Dave Portnoy from being in their stadium?” Eisen started. “They say no, OK, they say no. OK, Yahoo’s reporting from the athletic director, it was a Fox decision. Yeah, and they say no.

“I’ll say this: Dave Portnoy stated, I imagine he was the one who stated Ryan Day’s brother was behind a lot of the reporting and leaking of what was occurring with the Connor Stalions awfulness. And so Portnoy was speaking about Day’s household.

“So I understand if there’s some sensitivities with Dave Portnoy showing up on the Fox set. But, it’s one of those things where you’re telling me it’s raining. So they hired Dave Portnoy to essentially — I’ll just come straight to the door — to essentially McAfee up the Fox morning program, Big Noon on Fox, pregame show. I think that’s OK, right? Like you see Pat has nuclear supercharged College GameDay.

“So Fox goes into the Barstool and will get El Stool Presidente. And so that you’re telling me you are gonna make a deal with him, after which it is a Fox resolution to keep him off the most-watched hour of the two-hour program? Sorry, is that what you are telling me? When there are followers on the opposite aspect of the set, you are gonna have Portnoy off that set willingly. That’s your resolution? That’s what we’re being instructed.

“OK. It can’t be a Michigan-Ohio State thing, can it? Is it? Could it be? Because if it’s this, I will just say this again, I understand there was some personal things said and all that stuff, and there’s a lot of other things that have happened that’s behind the conversation here. Like, say the last time Barstool connected with, if you will, mainstream media or legacy media, linear cable media, they were like one show and done. One and done. So is this happening again?

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“Where Fox isn’t, nicely — I suppose, nicely, Fox is what half-stepping into the Barstool Portnoy pool by saying you possibly can go hang around on the on-campus portion. But when it is time for the adults to go within the stadium, that is not taking place definitely within the Big Ten, proper?

“Is that what’s happening? Is that what we’re understanding? Is that what Fox is saying? Does somebody like Portnoy and Barstool? I don’t think so. That makes no sense makes no sense. You’re hiring him for a reason, right? So that’s one thing.”

Portnoy additionally branded OSU as “soft” amid the problem. Michigan fan Portnoy delivered his message on social media platform X. “This is a unique spot for me because I always just sling it and say what’s happening,” Portnoy stated.

“Barstool is an independent pirate ship. We work for ourselves. That’s why people love us. We don’t filter anything, we don’t hide anything.

“Now, we have fashioned this huge relationship with Fox and I’m all the time cognizant of our companions and attempt to do proper by them. And they undoubtedly obtained put in a bizarre spot as a result of they did not see this, how may anyone see that crying Ryan Day and Ohio State could be this smooth?”