Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy publicly blasted a political strategist tied to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after being approached about promoting a Red Sox-themed campaign message criticizing private equity ownership in sports.
The controversy erupted after Platner’s campaign aired a 15-second advertisement during a Boston Red Sox broadcast on the New England Sports Network (NESN).
The ad accused private equity firms of “destroying” the Red Sox and broader American institutions while referencing the controversial 2020 trade of star player Mookie Betts. Platner framed the message as part of his populist Senate campaign against corporate consolidation.
However, the campaign’s outreach to Portnoy quickly backfired.
According to screenshots of emails shared publicly by Portnoy, strategist Jeff Coote attempted to recruit the Barstool founder into amplifying the campaign’s anti-private-equity message and criticism of Red Sox ownership.
Coote reportedly pitched the campaign as tapping into frustrations many baseball fans have with Fenway Sports Group and principal owner John Henry.
Portnoy, who is Jewish, rejected the idea outright and instead shifted attention to Platner’s past controversy involving a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery.
In a fiery response, Portnoy challenged Platner to a direct one-on-one conversation about the tattoo allegations rather than baseball politics.
“You reached out to a Jew to poo poo a Nazi,” Portnoy wrote in the email exchange, later adding that Coote should “fire yourself for thinking I'd want to glamorize this clown.”
Platner has faced scrutiny throughout his Senate campaign over a now-covered tattoo critics linked to Nazi symbolism.
The candidate has repeatedly denied extremist beliefs and said he did not understand the tattoo’s meaning when he got it years earlier after drinking.
At the same time, NESN pulled Platner’s anti-private-equity ad midway through a Red Sox game.
The network, which is owned primarily by Fenway Sports Group, said the commercial violated advertising standards due to “unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property.”
Reports indicated the ad used graphics and typography closely resembling official Red Sox branding.
Platner’s campaign argued the ad was removed because it criticized Red Sox ownership and private equity influence, while NESN maintained the decision was based strictly on intellectual property concerns.