El-Sayed and Portnoy Trade Barbs Over Michigan Football Joke

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed engaged in a public spat with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, mocking Portnoy's physical condition after the latter called El-Sayed a "terrorist." The exchange began when El-Sayed, an alumnus of the University of Michigan, joked about the school's football program in a video clip.

"Is Michigan going to win a game without cheating? I say this as a Wolverine," El-Sayed stated in the clip. This comment drew a sharp response from Portnoy, who wrote on social media, "This guy really is a terrorist."

El-Sayed retaliated on X, formerly Twitter, posting a clip of Portnoy sprinting on a turf field and commenting, "Meanwhile, here’s [Portnoy] committing an act of athletic terrorism. Less pizza, more gym, habibi."

El-Sayed's remark about cheating references the ongoing sign-stealing scandal that has impacted the University of Michigan's football program. In August 2025, the NCAA imposed penalties on the university, including financial sanctions, recruiting restrictions, and probation, following an investigation into an impermissible scouting scheme. The program also faced separate violations in 2024 regarding impermissible recruiting contacts, improper tryouts, and unauthorized coaching.

El-Sayed's Republican opponent in the Senate race, former Rep. Mike Rogers, echoed Portnoy's sentiment, sharing the post and stating Portnoy was "exactly right." Rogers' spokeswoman clarified that the remark was in response to El-Sayed "parroting Ohio State talking points," referencing the Wolverines' rival.

The political commentary from El-Sayed has also drawn scrutiny regarding his past statements on foreign policy and cultural issues. At a September town hall, he faced questions about condemning Iran's regime and Islamist organizations, where he advocated for the Iranian people to determine their government rather than supporting American-led regime change. During an October interview, El-Sayed declined to explicitly designate certain organizations, like the Muslim Brotherhood, as terrorist groups, instead stating a preference for designating organizations engaged in political violence.

In a debate on Oct. 8, Rogers reportedly criticized El-Sayed's responses concerning terrorist groups. El-Sayed also declined to identify Iran or Israel as the greater threat to the United States, stating both had demonstrated danger.

El-Sayed has, however, publicly condemned Hamas, calling their actions war crimes during an August appearance on "The Jim Acosta Show." He also accused Israel of war crimes and genocide.

Previously, in a 2021 essay, El-Sayed wrote about "toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport," suggesting it ran deeper than individual scandals. He cited personal experiences with racist taunting in football locker rooms and called for coaches to address the underlying culture contributing to such behavior.