Dave Portnoy, owner of Barstool Sports, had a delighted reaction to former NFL tackle Taylor Lewan and retired NFL linebacker Will Compton joining ESPN. Lewan and Compton were formerly with Barstool Sports but split from the brand earlier in January this year. The exit was definitely a surprise and Portnoy remarked that the former NFL players are looking forward to another new project.
Portnoy reacted to the news of Lewan and Compton’s new gig with ESPN, where the pair is expected to appear on ‘Get Up’, remarking that the network is slowly becoming a junior version of his Barstool Sports.
College football Ohio State Buckeyes
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy looks up at the scoreboard Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.
“ESPN is officially Barstool Jr.” Owner of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy reacted to the news of Taylor Lewan and Will Compton joining ESPN.
Dave Portnoy has been an active voice of reason in the world of sports and is known for dropping controversial bombs every now and then. However, it looks like this particular remark of his has angered many who felt that he was mocking Taylor Lewan and Will Compton for joining a rival network.
However, the owner of Barstool Sports clarified much later that this was not a shot taken at Lewan and Compton and that he wholly respects the two, but only hates ESPN. Portnoy, in the past, has not been shy about his hatred for ESPN.
Dave Portnoy Banned From Ohio Stadium
On another note, according to recent reports, Dave Portnoy is banned from Ohio Stadium. Portnoy himself spoke about this during a recent episode of the ‘Barstool Pick Em’ podcast and revealed that this news is indeed true.
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Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dave Portnoy poses with solders before the between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
“It’s a semantics game in the sense that like, yeah, they banned us. But they’re saying FOX did it. It’s just common sense. We did this huge deal with Fox Sports, right? A huge deal. It’s Week 1. The biggest game of the year. We were all booked and ready to do out pregame show with Fox, which is the plan. And we will be doing it in Week 2 – Iowa, Iowa State. And suddenly that show’s just cancelled. Pulled the plug about a week ago.”Dave Portnoy said in the podcast.
Dave Portnoy revealed that when he was about to go into Ohio Stadium, he was stopped by a Fox employee who stated that he was not allowed to enter. Portnoy also added that the team at Ohio State itself looked pretty “soft” and “weak”.
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Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy attends game two of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
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