NFL Commissioner Challenged by Sports Writer to Donate to Small Biz Fund

Curing the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been no shortage of disheartening realities faced by the American people.

First and foremost, there is the very real human toll of the crisis, as at-risk Americans continue to fall ill and perish from the highly contagious and complicated disease.

But then there is the massive economic toll, which has hit small businesses with an alarming severity.  That’s why the founder of one of the nation’s premiere sporting news sites is challenging the commissioner of the NFL to do more. 

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 two have been beefin’ for a while now.

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.”

As of this writing, there has been no official response from Goodell.