(José Niño, Headline USA) Just as Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy battles backlash over an antisemitic incident at his bar, the internet is digging up a 14-year-old scandal that refuses to stay buried.
Earlier this month, several patrons displayed a “F*** the Jews” sign at the Barstool Sansom Street bar in Philadelphia during bottle service.
This incident prompted Portnoy to fire employees, collaborate with authorities, and initially propose sending the individuals involved to Auschwitz for a “learning experience.”
However, his aggressive stance also drew attention to his history of controversial behavior. As Temple University suspended students and legal battles emerged, social media users such as Spinachbrah began revisiting Portnoy’s 2011 posting of explicit photos of Tom Brady’s then-20-month-old son, Benjamin.
In 2011 Dave Portnoy posted a naked picture of Tom Brady’s TWO YEAR OLD SON
In his own words – "I said he had a big 'howitzer.' So that's not sexual. If you're making a connection to that being sexual then I would look into the mirror is what I would say; because it's not… pic.twitter.com/n8yuZpXLoj
— Spinachbrah 🥗 (@basedspinach) May 6, 2025
In August 2011, Portnoy published paparazzi photos of Brady’s naked son on Barstool Sports, adding commentary about the child’s genitalia. The images, taken during a family beach outing, showed the toddler fully unclothed. Portnoy defended the post as a reference to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” humor but faced immediate backlash.
Brady’s then-wife Gisele Bundchen issued a cease-and-desist letter to David Portnoy, leading to further repercussions. Massachusetts state police visited Portnoy’s home, resulting in his decision to remove the controversial photos. In response to the incident, WEEI radio station dropped Portnoy as a contributor, with Jason Wolfe, the station’s vice president of programming, saying Portnoy’s behavior constituted a violation of “common decency.”
At the time, legal experts weighed in on the situation, debating the possibility of Portnoy facing child exploitation charges. However, they largely agreed that the images lacked the “lascivious intent” necessary to qualify as child pornography.
Portnoy later admitted the police visit influenced his decision to take down the content. He told The Boston Globe: “I’ve never had cops knock on my door for anything in my life.”
Portnoy has not publicly addressed the resurfaced allegations, focusing instead on damage control for the antisemitism incident that took place at his bar.
At the center of the present controversy involving Portnoy is Mohammed Adna Khan, a 21-year-old Temple University student who uploaded a video to Instagram showing a waitress at Portnoy’s Barstool Sansom Street bar holding a sign reading “F*** the Jews” during a bottle service order, which went viral.
Portnoy initially accused Khan of orchestrating the incident and offered to send him to Auschwitz for Holocaust education, but retracted the offer after Khan denied responsibility, claiming he was merely “reporting” the sign as a “citizen journalist”.
Khan launched a GiveSendGo fundraiser, raising over for legal defense, which drew scrutiny after Portnoy disputed his account of this incident.
While the 2011 incident did not result in legal consequences, its resurgence underscores how digital footprints persist and resurface during moments of public vulnerability.
As the spotlight intensifies, Portnoy’s legacy may ultimately be defined by how he handles both old wounds and new crises.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
