Rep. Jordan Bizarrely Grills Goodell Over Barstool’s Portnoy During Commanders Hearing

Topline

During a congressional hearing over allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic culture at the NFL’s Washington Commanders, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) went on a surprising segue, questioning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about controversial Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.

Key Facts

In an exchange that went viral on social media, Jordan asked if Goodell believed in the First Amendment, pointing out that the “sports journalist” Portnoy says he’s banned from attending NFL games.

Goodell said he’s “not familiar” with the purported ban.

In response, Portnoy called Goodell a “liar” and “Hitler” and accused Goodell of committing perjury in a series of tweets, two of which received over 10,000 likes within an hour of posting.

Jordan later retweeted a message from the GOP House Judiciary Committee’s official account which connected Jordan and Portnoy’s names with a handshake emoji.

Jordan also grilled Goodell over the treatment of Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who was fined $100,000 by the team this month after he called the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, a “dust-up.”

Key Background

Portnoy was arrested in 2015 while protesting at the NFL’s New York City headquarters, which he claims led the league to impose a lifetime ban on him.The NFL hasn’t commented on Portnoy’s claim that he’s been banned and didn’t immediately respond to Forbes‘ request for comment. Barstool, founded by Portnoy in 2003, is best known for its gambling and sports content and crude humor. Portnoy interviewed then President Donald Trump in the White House in 2020. In November, three women told Insider they had “frightening” sexual experiences with Portnoy, accusations which he denied. He sued Insider for defamation in February.

Chief Critic

Many blasted Jordan’s questioning as ridiculous, including journalist David Gardner, who tweeted: “I’m trying to imagine a bigger waste of time during an important congressional hearing than Jim Jordan asking if Dave Portnoy has been banned from NFL games.”

Tangent

Jordan has refused to comply with the House committee investigating the events of January 6. Call records obtained by the Washington Post and CNN show Jordan spoke to Trump on the morning of the riots, though Jordan maintains he never said the 2020 election was stolen.

Further Reading

Roger Goodell testifies before Congress on Commanders workplace culture (Washington Post)