Dave Portnoy blasts operative pitching collaboration with ‘Nazi’ candidate Graham Platner
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Barstool Sports “Chairman” Dave Portnoy harshly criticized a political operative with ties to controversial Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after his strategist floated the idea of a Boston sports-themed ad collaboration.
Platner cut an ad targeting private equity firms’ involvement in Boston Red Sox management; Its principal owner, John Henry II’s Fenway Sports Group, includes a number of investors, including private equity firms, while also owning a stake in NASCAR’s RFK (Roush-Fenway-Keselowski) Racing team.
On Thursday, political strategist Jeff Coote reached out to Portnoy, warning him about the ad and asking if he’d be interested in collaborating with Platner to publicize the rise of private equity and the “big bad John Henry” in sports. Portnoy later shared the email chain on X.
“Hey Dave, there’s something different for you,” wrote strategist Jeff Coote, calling the ad an example of Platner’s “populist streak” while lamenting that “people are angry like the Sox and Henry.”
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After Coote “poked” Portnoy’s inbox again on Friday, “El Presidente” took a shot at him.
“Hey Jeff. Now isn’t this Nazi guy? Yeah, I’d be happy to talk to him about this tattoo and him being a Nazi,” Portnoy, who is Jewish, wrote.
“I’m not that interested in his baseball. Let me know when we can get along. Dave.”
When Coote replied “good idea” Portnoy asked “is that a no?” he replied.
Coote said he would consider putting himself in touch with Platner if the two sides could find a way to have a productive meeting.
But Portnoy wasn’t done.
“What does that mean? You reached out to a Jew to poop on a Nazi. I’m not Bernie Sanders,” he said; because the Vermont socialist was also Jewish, but he supported Platner and acted with him.
“If your son isn’t a Nazi and can handle me 1-on-1 in a meeting, arrange for it. If he can’t, you should fire yourself for thinking I’d want to hex this clown.”
Platner was reprimanded for a chest tattoo of Totenkopf, a skull and crossbones symbol affiliated with the German Nazi Schutzstaffel paramilitary group.
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Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts celebrates with third baseman Rafael Devers after hitting a two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 20, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports)
After publishing the email chain, Portnoy tweeted that he still wondered why Platner’s campaign thought he would “want to play footsie with a Nazi.”
the ad itself Fenway-owned New England SportsNet (NESN) also took heat from Henry’s group for doing so during halftime of the Sox’ game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
The network said Saturday that it routinely removes ads with “credible concerns” about the use of intellectual property. Although the network did not elaborate specifically, Platner appeared to use the same red font that is synonymous with the baseball team.
Platner also confirmed on social media that the ad had been taken down.
The ad itself called out Fenway for what Platner called the “private equity curse” on the team.
Platner appeared to take the private equity “curse” further by telling X that the Red Sox were “up 4-0” after NESN stopped airing the ad.
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Barstool Sports president David Portnoy, left; Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, right. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A firm called RedBird Partners bought an 11% stake in Fenway in 2021, shortly after the Red Sox traded the star outfielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. Platner states:
“Private equity is destroying our favorite baseball team, tearing them apart – Private equity is buying our homes, our sports, and our lives,” Platner said in the ad.
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“I will reverse the curse of private equity. I am Graham Platner and I approve of this message because I miss Mookie Betts.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Portnoy, Coote’s Slingshot Strategies, and the Platner campaign for comment.
