Dave Portnoy names the culprit behind his Big Noon Kickoff exit

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff goes on the air Saturday from Minneapolis, ahead of Michigan’s noon ET game at Minnesota, without Dave Portnoy or the Barstool Sports personalities who joined the pregame show a little over a year ago. The Athletic reported on Friday that Barstool is off the Saturday broadcast. Portnoy confirmed it on X before he had even seen the story, and he came with his own explanation for it.

Portnoy wrote that Andrew Marchand never called him for a quote, then put the blame squarely on Columbus.

“Ohio State and Ryan Day b*tched and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox till they had no choice. Juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and frankly I don’t blame them. Huge dollars at stake and you have Cryin Ryan throwing temper tantrums and making threats every few days on something I said. I always knew Ryan Day was soft but holy s**t even I didn’t realize he was this soft,” Portnoy wrote on X Friday night.

Just was told @AndrewMarchand is about to release an article saying I’ve been put on ice for @BNKonFOX 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 bitched and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox…

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 3, 2026

Wrong!

I do not blame Ryan Day for me getting fired from WEEI, ESPN, or banned from the NFL

However he very certainly got me fired from @BNKonFOX#notorioushttps://t.co/beNX9COmD3

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 3, 2026

Class recognizes class clearly https://t.co/ZQ8nVfxwfe

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 3, 2026

The first show without him happens to be built around his own school. Portnoy, a Michigan graduate, made his Big Noon Kickoff debut in Columbus in August 2025. He sang the Michigan fight song on his way to the stage and peeled off a sweatshirt to reveal a “still can’t beat Michigan” shirt in front of the Ohio State crowd.

Did Ohio State actually force Fox’s hand?

Sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic there was no smoking gun. They described the ongoing struggle of fitting Barstool’s persona inside Fox’s more traditional show as unsustainable, which is a broader problem than one coach’s objections.

Ahead of that 2025 debut, Portnoy made a similar claim, saying Ohio State had banned him from Ohio Stadium. Athletic director Ross Bjork denied any ban. He said Fox had decided Portnoy would not sit on the main desk, and that anyone off the desk did not appear on the field. A Big Ten spokesperson added that the league understood from Fox that Portnoy would not appear on the show’s main stage inside any conference stadium that year.

Twice now, the decision on the record has belonged to Fox while Portnoy’s version has put it on Day. Neither Fox nor Ohio State has publicly backed his account of Friday’s news.

Wake Up Barstool keeps its weekday slot on FS1, and Portnoy said his relationship with the network remains strong. He also said Barstool’s own college football show will keep traveling, possibly straight into enemy territory.

“The Barstool College Football will continue on. Maybe we’ll even see you in Columbus where contrary to popular belief most fans love the rivalry and aren’t p*ssies like Cryin Ryan,” Portnoy wrote.

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The post Dave Portnoy names the culprit behind his Big Noon Kickoff exit appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.