For Dave Portnoy, 2026 is starting to feel like a victory lap. Portnoy watched his alma mater’s arch nemesis, Ohio State, fail miserably to defend its crown. And then just weeks before the Super Bowl, he got to know that he is officially unbanned from the event. And if his Instagram story is any indication, he’s treating this trip like the championship parade he’s been waiting nearly a decade to experience.

Portnoy posted a clip to his Instagram showing his bed absolutely littered with Patriots gear, Drake Maye jerseys in multiple styles, hoodies, sweatpants, the works. “Packing it up for Santa Clara. You know how it goes. Business trip here,” Portnoy said. “Couple Drake Maye(s), Hawaiian, sweats, gotta be ready, cold weather. [I’ve] done this before, not my first rodeo, Game time! Business trip!” 

The enthusiasm was palpable. This was a man who’d been denied entry for nine years, finally getting his chance to watch his team chase another Lombardi Trophy.

The ban itself dates back to 2019, when Portnoy was famously ejected from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta between the Patriots and Rams. But the roots of the feud go all the way back in 2015 and Deflategate, when Tom Brady was suspended for four games after the Patriots were accused of deliberately deflating footballs during the 2014 AFC Championship Game. 

Portnoy organized a protest outside NFL headquarters in New York alongside Barstool employees John Feitelberg, Hank Lockwood, and Paul Gulczynski. And all four were arrested during the sit-in. He then distributed thousands of T-shirts and towels portraying NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a clown with a big red nose, cementing the bitter relationship between Barstool and the league. 

When Portnoy later falsified media credentials to gain access to Super Bowl events, the NFL had seen enough. Portnoy was kicked out of Super Bowl LIII. He infamously mimicked a “dead fish” as security escorted him out. And the league effectively banned him from future Big Games.

But the Cold War between Portnoy and the NFL has been thawing for a while now. Barstool’s wide-ranging partnership with Fox Sports brought frequent ad reads during NFL games on Fox. It included spots featuring Dave Portnoy himself. Barstool personalities Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Michael Katic even did sketches that aired on Fox’s top-rated NFL pregame show. 

The company also inked a licensing deal with Netflix worth more than $10 million per year, and Netflix has been airing NFL games on Christmas for the past two seasons. Perhaps most tellingly, Portnoy has developed a close relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, sitting in Kraft’s owner’s suite at a road game in Tampa earlier this season.

When TMZ first reported that Dave Portnoy’s ban had been lifted, he told Front Office Sports, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” in reference to Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech in West Berlin.

Dave Portnoy has watched his Michigan Wolverines fall short this season despite his millions invested in NIL funds. So, watching Drake Maye lead the Patriots to a potential seventh Super Bowl title would be the ultimate consolation. And after nine years in exile, Portnoy finally gets to do it without security dragging him out.

From exile to box office

With the NFL officially confirming that “Mr. Portnoy can buy a ticket to the game,” the Barstool founder is packing his bags for Santa Clara. But the change in tone from both sides is striking. Once there were handcuffing protests outside league headquarters and security escorts mimicking dead fish, there’s now something resembling friendship (of some sort). 

“I have 100 percent intentions to go watch the Super Bowl as a fan and enjoy it,” Portnoy said before the NFL’s confirmation. “I’m not seeking trouble. I just want to cue the duck boats and celebrate with another parade.”

It’s a far cry from the clown-faced Roger Goodell T-shirts and counterfeit credentials. And perhaps that’s the point. After nearly a decade of Cold War-style standoffs, both parties seem ready to let the grudge fade into history without ever formally acknowledging it existed.