‘A hideous incident’: Temple student suspended over antisemitic sign at Barstool Philadelphia

Barstool Sports is used to courting controversy, but an antisemitic sign displayed within its Philadelphia bar over the weekend drew widespread condemnation and multiple responses from its outspoken CEO Dave Portnoy.

The incident took place Saturday, when a group of patrons ordered a light-up bottle service sign at Barstool Sansom Street that included an antisemitic message that read “F — the Jews." A video featuring the sign being paraded around the bar by a server was shared widely on social media.

Among the people involved was a Temple student who has been placed on interim suspension, according to a statement from the university’s president, John Fry. Temple has not publicly identified the student.

“In the strongest terms possible, let me be clear: Antisemitism is abhorrent,” Fry said. “It has no place at Temple, and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university.”

Portnoy, who is Jewish, said he was “shaking” after being informed about the incident and offered an emotional, profane rebuke to the hate speech delivered within his bar.

“I’ve been doing Barstool for 20 years. I’ve [seen] more hate, more antisemitism in the last year, year and a half, than I’ve ever had doing it,” Portnoy said in a video shared on social media to his more than 9 million combined followers.

Portnoy said he spoke with those involved, describing them as young “morons” who were drunk. He said he hoped to turn “a hideous incident” into a teachable moment by sending them to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi prison camp complex in Poland where nearly a million Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust.

“For everyone who wants these kids’ lives to be ruined, I think you can lay off,” Portnoy said.

Later on Monday afternoon, Portnoy posted another video on X, saying that he had another conversation with the suspended Temple student. Portnoy said he saw the student post on Instagram about the incident, apologizing but taking less accountability for what happened than when having spoken to Portnoy earlier.

“I sincerely regret any hurt or ill feelings this caused. Neither I, nor anyone whose username was tagged in the video I posted, paid for or requested that sign ... I do not support the awful message contained in that sign. I made the poor decision to record and upload it. Since the video went public, I’ve faced serious threats to my safety, which has been overwhelming,” said a statement posted to a now-hidden Instagram account believed to belong to the student.

“It is a 180 from my convo with him yesterday. Needless to say, his trip to Poland has been revoked,” Portnoy said on X.

Portnoy did not respond to a request for further comment.

Two servers involved in the incident were fired immediately, the restaurant said in a statement.

“We are saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff acting outside the scope of their duties,” the restaurant said in a statement, adding, “This unfortunate incident is the opposite of what we stand for, and we will be doubling down on efforts to prevent such actions in the future.”

Ben Fileccia, senior vice president of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, said he had never heard of a bottle service sign being used in such a harmful way.

“From my perspective, the servers lacked the proper training. Both in hospitality and morality,” he said.

One of the servers also worked as an instructor at DanceXpress in Narberth. The company said in a statement that it had decided “to terminate her employment immediately.”

“At DanceXpress, we uphold a zero-tolerance policy for hate in any form,” the company said. “It is important that our studio remains a safe and welcoming space for all dancers and their families … She will never teach at DanceXpress again.”

» READ MORE: Barstool’s Dave Portnoy attacks 6abc during interview about antisemitic incident

Portnoy founded Barstool Sports as a free weekly newspaper in 2003 and has grown it into one of the most popular sports media brands in the country, fueled by its racy and, at times, obscene coverage.

Barstool was acquired by Penn Entertainment in 2023 but was subsequently sold back to Portnoy for $1 later that same year to rebrand its Barstool Sportsbook to ESPN Bet.

 The company also owns a sports bar in Chicago.

It’s unclear whether other Temple students were involved in the incident. Fry said that an investigation is ongoing and that anyone with information could contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

“Any additional students who are found to be involved will face strict disciplinary action under the Student Conduct Code, up to and including expulsion,” Fry said.

There has been a spike in antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania and elsewhere since Oct. 7, 2023, when nearly 1,200 people were killed in a Hamas attack on Israel during the Jewish religious holiday of Simchath Torah. The attack sparked a war in Gaza, which has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and numbers provided by the United Nations.

In 2024, there were 465 antisemitic incidents reported in Pennsylvania, an 18% increase from 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2022, a year before the attack, the organization tracked 114 incidents across the state.

The numbers “astound” Andrew Goretsky, the regional director of the organization’s Philadelphia branch.

“In 2023, Pennsylvania saw five assaults, all of which involved schoolchildren. A year later, Pennsylvania saw twelve assaults, one of which included a weapon,” Goretsky said in a statement. “The Jewish community is being harassed, threatened, and attacked.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were the victims of violence last month at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, which was attacked by an arsonist following a seder on the first night of Passover.

Suspect Cody Balmer, who suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, called 911 moments after the fire started and called Shapiro, who is Jewish, a “monster” while referencing the plight of the “Palestinian people.”

“This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Shapiro said a day after the fire. “We have to be better than this.”

Inquirer staff writer Bill Bender contributed to this article.