Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy won’t be watching Monday Night Football with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell any time soon.
Portnoy, who was the highest bidder to get that experience in an NFL charity auction to support coronavirus relief during the April draft, had failed a background check that was a precondition to follow through on the invite to Goodell’s home, according to Sports Business Daily.
Portnoy had won the auction with a $250,000 bid.
The background check found Portnoy had multiple encounters with NFL security and took into account an incident where he posted a nude photo of Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s then 2-year-old son on Barstool.
The league also found Portnoy was arrested in 2015 for trespassing at the NFL’s Pack Avenue headquarters and again in 2016, which came to light after he had posted about it online.
“He was the highest bidder, but the bid was contingent upon a background check,” said NFL Vice President of Communications Brian McCarthy. “He consented to the background check, and it came back, and he heard from the NFL today that he did not pass the background check. He will not be the winner.”
Portnoy shot back at the decision with a Twitter video calling Goodell a “coward” who hates charity and kids.
The NFL will donate the $250,000 equally to six charities it was supporting during the Draftathon and will select a “deserving front line worker” from the pandemic to join Goodell for that experience.
