Twitter reverses suspension of Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy amid backlash

Twitter sent shockwaves on its platform Friday evening after the tech giant suspended Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s account, which was quickly reversed amid intense backlash.  

Portnoy’s handle @stoolpresidente, which had 2.5 million Twitter followers, was shut down with an “Account suspended” message. 

#FreeDavePortnoy began dominating social media as it was unclear what led to his suspension. 

Less than two hours later, Portnoy’s suspension was lifted. 

“I’m back,” Portnoy tweeted.  

Portnoy previously told Fox News in a statement, “The will of the people will be heard. #freeportnoy.” 

When asked what led to the suspension, Portnoy replied “I don’t know.”

A Twitter spokesperson told Fox News, “We’ve no comment at this time however the account you reference has been reinstated.” 

While it is unclear why Portnoy’s account was suspended, Twitter users suspect it was over a tweet he sent earlier in the day during a spat with another user, in which he wrote, “Let me drop my nuts on your head.”

When asked if this might be the reason for the suspension, Portnoy told Fox News the man “deserved” his harsh comeback, “and I would get suspended 100 times over to prove my point.”

Barstool Sports put out a tweet reacting to Portnoy’s initial suspension. 

“#FreePortnoy @jack,” Barstool Sports wrote, tagging Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and sharing a picture of the two of them together. 

Portnoy’s fans expressed outrage towards Twitter’s actions, launching a #FreeDavePortnoy campaign that trended on the platform

“FREE @stoolpresidente!!!” Ruthless co-host Comfortably Smug reacted.

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“@Twitter what is this garbage!?” Townhall.com senior editor Matt Vespa exclaimed.

“Twitter booting Portnoy might be harder on them than booting Trump,” Washington Free Beacon executive editor Brent Scher warned.