David Portnoy slams Roger Goodell over NFL reaction to Damar Hamlin collapse

Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy has targeted his nemesis Roger Goodell over the NFL’s handling of Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse last week.

The 47-year-old sports blogger commented on the incident in an interview with “street journalist” Adam Glyn, admitting that while officers ultimately made the “right” call to medicalize the safety of the Buffalo Bills and end the game, but it was no thanks to the NFL Commissioner.

Speaking from Miami, Portnoy also accused the league of lying about having no intention of restarting play after 24-year-old Hamlin collapsed on Jan. 2 after a tackle on the field and went into cardiac arrest.

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In an interview with DailyMail.com, Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy slammed the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming they wanted to resume play after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field on Jan. 2

Hamlin stood up briefly after attacking Tee Higgins before falling back in shocking scenes as the Buffalo Bills played Cincinnati Bengals

“No, I don’t think they handled it well… The right thing happened, they didn’t do it [resume] play, but if Goodell had had his way they would have played,” Portnoy said.

When Hamlin first collapsed after attacking Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck had repeatedly told TV viewers that the league planned to resume play after a five-minute warm-up.

Officials eventually made the decision to sit out the game as concerns grew for Hamlin’s health, but the NFL has since denied there were ever any plans to resume.

Portnoy has now denied those claims, saying: “You lied. The NFL wanted him to go back and play, right? They had the five minutes, they say it on TV…

“I think what happened was the Bills coach and some of the Bengals said ‘we’re not going to play now’ and they took him off the field.”

It was only after the coaches and the players called that the NFL changed course, claiming they never intended to play, Portnoy claimed.

“The NFL just cares about the NFL and ratings, finding sponsors and all that,” he added.

Officials eventually made the decision to sit out the game as concerns grew for Hamlin’s health, but the NFL has since denied there were ever any plans to resume

Troy Vincent (left), the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations and a former NFL defenseman who played three seasons at Buffalo, denied Buck’s claim on a Monday night conference call with reporters: ‘I’m not sure where that came from.’ Hamlin (right) remains in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital

Portnoy has been an outspoken critic of the NFL and has been involved in a series of feuds with its commissioner since being banned from all league events after being arrested for protesting Tom Brady’s suspension over the 2015 Deflategate scandal would have.

ESPN announcer Joe Buck has doubled down on his claim that the NFL wanted players to resume play Monday in Cincinnati following Damar Hamlin’s sudden heart attack

In February 2022, Portnoy also accused Goodell of interfering in Barstool’s attempt to acquire rights to the Buffalo Bills stadium, branding him “one of the greatest criminals, villains and dictators of all time.”

Portnoy’s comments come amid wider controversy surrounding the NFL’s alleged plans to restart the game Monday night, which Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, has denied.

In an interview with the New York Post last week, Buck revealed that an NFL official told the network the game would resume after a five-minute warm-up.

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Mike Silver also reported that the NFL’s “first impulse” was to try to resume play until players and coaches refused and walked off the field.

“Just that suggestion alone was inappropriate, it was insensitive and, frankly, it lacked both empathy and compassion for Damar’s situation, who is still around and fighting for his life today. It lacked completeness and it was just so insensitive to think that we even thought about playing again,” he said.