Ex-New York Jets’ QB Caught Up in Controversy Involving Barstool’s Portnoy

Stop me if you've heard this before: Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is at the center of a controversy.

This time around, Portnoy and Barstool Sports were the subjects of a story done by The Washington Post, one which Portnoy called a hit piece on him. The story was centered around Barstool Sports' One Bite Pizza Festival, an event which featured some of the best pizza from across the country, including pies from DeFazio's in Troy, NY.

While the story was predominantly focused on Barstool's pizza fest, it also brought up multiple incidents from Portnoy's past, including one that involved a now-former New York Jets' quarterback.

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Former New York Jets' QB Involved in Controversy with Barstool Sports' Portnoy

A story from The New York Post informed us of a controversy centered around Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, and face of the One Bite Pizza Review series. One of the other parties included in this controversy happens to be Christian Hackenberg, a now-former quarterback of the New York Jets.

In a blog post from Portnoy posted to Barstool's website, which WaPo dug up from back in 2016, Portnoy called Hackenberg f***ing gorgeous, after which he used a hashtag containing an insensitive phrase.

As noted by The Post, a Twitter/X user mentioned this to Portnoy, which led to responses from both Portnoy and Christian Hackenberg. Here is an exchange from that conversation:

While this controversy brewed, thousands of hungry fans braved the rain and wind to gather at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn for the pizza-tasting event, which featured selections from over 35 pizzerias, as well as drinks, and live music.