What happened at Barstool Sansom Street? Sign scandal explained as Dave Portnoy's response stirs controversy

On the night of Saturday, May 3, 2025, an antisemitic sign was displayed at the Barstool Sansom Street outlet in Philadelphia, the video of which circulated online on Sunday.

Trigger warning: The article has references to antisemitism. Readers' discretion is advised.

“F**k the Jews,” read the sign circulated by the Jewish nonprofit, StopAntisemitism on the social networking site X.

A female employee, apparently a server, held up the sign while another was heard repeating the words several times. As Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy explained, signs are typically displayed when patrons order bottle service at his bars.

The video, which was originally shared on an Instagram Story, was captured by @mokhan3.0, and @mike.wade03 was tagged and thanked in the post.

While the employees holding up the sign have been fired, as confirmed by Dave Portnoy, an unidentified student from Temple University has been put on interim suspension following the incident.

Meanwhile, Portnoy, who is Jewish, has issued lengthy statements on his X account. In the first video, he shared that the moment he received the news, he began “shaking” and feeling “so f**king mad.”

"Who the f**k would do that sign in my f**king bar? You think I'm just going to sit here?" he stated.

In a follow-up video, the Barstool Sports owner mentioned how he initially wanted to take serious action against the “culprits.” However, later he decided to use it as a “teachable moment.”

“I talked to both the culprits, who I know are super involved in it, and talked to the families. I'm sending these kids to Auschwitz. They've agreed to go, that's of course, the Holocaust concentration camps,” Portnoy shared.

While the student and the Barstool employees have faced backlash for their antisemitic views, Dave Portnoy is also stirring controversy with his reaction.

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More about the Barstool Sansom Street scandal and Dave Portnoy's response

On Saturday night, an anti-Jewish sign was displayed outside the Barstool Sansom Street bar during a bottle service. In the wake of this, Dave Portnoy took to X and shared that he heard of the incident while getting ready for the Met Gala 2025.

In the initial video on Sunday, he mentioned making it his life’s mission to “ruin these people” involved and that, even though the incident made him “sad,” he was “on the trail” to locate the culprits and hold them accountable.

Dave Portnoy addresses the Barstool controversy. (Image via X)

According to the Barstool head, he spoke to several individuals who were present during the incident, trying to ensure that those responsible faced “consequences for their actions,” including the waitresses and the table from which it originated. He also mentioned reviewing the CCTV footage and discovering that @mike.wade03, who was tagged in the original clip, was uninvolved.

Dave claimed that when he confronted the culprits, they cried and asked him how to make things right. While one was “the dumbest human being,” according to him, the other was reportedly “kind of forced” by her co-worker.

In the second video uploaded a few hours later, Portnoy claimed that the two people who ordered the sign had agreed to go to Auschwitz, a former Nazi Germany concentration camp during the Second World War, and educate themselves about the Holocaust and the history of the Jewish community.

“My initial reaction was like I'm going to f**king burn these people to the ground, their families, everything, and it's like you know what? Maybe that's not the best course of action,” the Barstool President stated.

“Maybe I can use this as a teaching moment, and like before, people just are like f**k the Jews or any group, and the hate, let's try to like turn a hideous incident into maybe a learning experience, as cliche and very unlike me.”

Dave Portnoy added that he’s been in touch with the Krafts, who run the anti-hate group, and together they were going to “send these kids to Auschwitz” for a tour, and hopefully they would “learn” something. He insisted that he no longer wanted to ruin their lives but ensure that they think twice before doing something similar in the future, calling it a “fair outcome.”

The Barstool founder further said that he would pay for the trips. In the wake of Dave Portnoy's response, some netizens claimed that he overreacted, while others have defended his statement.

A netizen reacts to Portnoy's statements (Image via X/@FlatEarthZone)

Meanwhile, the official page of Barstool Sansom Street, which was closed on Sunday, shared a post reading:

“We are saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff acting outside the scope of their duties, which resulted in antisemitic hate speech last evening at our establishment.

“Unfortunately, several employees ignored all of their training and the organization's written policies regarding our zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and hate. Instead, the employees complied with a customer's request for a sign in connection with ordering bottle service.”

They also apologized for the incident and extended their support for the Jewish community.

As Portnoy's comment and the Barstool incident gained traction, Temple University President John Fry called it “deeply disturbing” in a letter and confirmed that a student has been placed on interim suspension. However, the student's identity remains undisclosed.

"In the strongest terms possible, let me be clear: antisemitism is abhorrent. It has no place at Temple, and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university," he wrote.

Fry also mentioned that the Division of Student Affairs is conducting an investigation. He warned that any other student identified as having been involved in the incident will face disciplinary action, including potential expulsion.

Jason Holtzman, head of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, called it a “disturbing sign of the times.” Rabbi David Kushner, a chaplain with the Philadelphia Police Department, shared with Fox 29 that he spoke with Portnoy and found the incident “incredibly concerning.”

He said it “pained” and “angered” him, especially just days into Jewish American History Month, and he would like to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future. The Philadelphia Police Department is also looking into the matter.