Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has challenged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to donate $250,000 — a number that Portnoy will match — to the Bar Fund small business relief campaign.
Not long ago, Portnoy tried to donate $250,000 to the NFL’s coronavirus worker’s fund. Well, now, in a Dec. 23 tweet, Portnoy is telling Goodell that he still has the $250K, and if the NFL chief puts in his own $250K to help small businesses survive the coronavirus shutdowns, then Portnoy will match it.
The impetus for the challenge started back in May when the NFL refused to take Portnoy’s winning bid of $250,000 to watch a football game with Goodell.
Portnoy had offered the $250K bid at an NFL auction meant to benefit frontline workers early in the coronavirus crisis. Despite that Portnoy’s bid was the winner, Goodell and the NFL refused to accept the money and barred the website chief from receiving his prize.
The Barstool Sports founder excoriated the NFL, saying, “You have cowards, you have mega cowards and then you have Roger Goodell. Don’t let me win it and then come up with this.”
Flash forward to this month when Portnoy and his sports website launched the “Bar Fund” to help small businesses
Portnoy announced the fund early in December, saying that it may not be the best plan because the “best plan is the government getting off their ass and issuing relief, billions of dollars to these small business owners who are losing their livelihoods.”
“That’s the solution. That’s the only solution really — but barring that, we’re going to do whatever we can,” Portnoy said.
Thus far, Portnoy has raised more than $2.6 million with his fund, according to Fox Business Network.
Let’s see if Roger Goodell meets Portnoy’s small business relief fund challenge. Maybe we’ll find out where Goodell’s and the NFL’s heart really lies.
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