Dave Portnoy makes his triumphant return to Super Bowl after being dragged out of the last one

Dave Portnoy was in the house to see the return of his beloved Patriots in Super Bowl 2026 on Sunday, making the trek to Santa Clara, Calif., for the Big Game. 

Portnoy shared a few photos and videos from his seats at Levi’s Stadium, even doing one of his famous pizza reviews.

The unabashed Patriots fan was, in no surprise, decked out in gear of his favorite team,

The Barstool Sports founder was making his own return to the Super Bowl after a longstanding war between the sports media company boss and the NFL, which stemmed from a protest that Portnoy and several other Barstool employees held at the league’s offices in New York in 2015 over “Deflate-gate.” 

The war between Portnoy and the NFL reached a fever pitch in 2019 when Portnoy was kicked out of the Super Bowl between the Rams and Patriots in Atlanta that led to the sports media personality being dragged out of his seat. 

Portnoy had been charged with criminal trespass earlier in the week after he created fake media credentials for a Super Bowl event.

But the ice between the two sides has thawed and NFL officials confirmed to multiple outlets that Portnoy “can buy a ticket to the game.”  

In an interview with TMZ, Portnoy had said he planned on being at the Super Bowl. 

“I have 100% intentions to go watch the Super Bowl as a fan and enjoy it,” Portnoy told the outlet. “But that’s what I did last time and I got dragged out. … I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just looking to cue the duck boats and have another parade.”

Portnoy had said that he “assumed” all the stories in the lead-up to the Super Bowl about him “would be much to do about nothing.” 

Dave Portnoy arrives at the Sports Illustrated’s SI The Party at Cow Palace Arena & Event Center on February 08, 2026 in Daly City, California. Getty Images

“I promise you this — if they try to drag me out of the Super Bowl, I have perfected the dead fish and it will be quite a viral moment because I will never walk willingly out of a Super Bowl when I am a paid customer,” Portnoy said. 

He has been in the Bay Area in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, arriving in San Francisco on Monday night.