"I'm not familiar with that issue" - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claims he has no idea why sports journalist Dave Portnoy is banned from league games

Roger Goodell did not have his finest day in court, but something he may receive the most attention for is his denial of knowing who Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is.

While appearing via Zoom, Goodell took questions from representatives on Capitol Hill, including one from Representative Jim Jordan about why Goodell banned Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy from attending NFL games. In response, the NFL Commissioner said he was "not familiar" with the Portnoy situation.

Portnoy responded by calling Goodell 'Hitler' and throwing him on a Mt. Rushmore of bad people:

"Adolf Hitler. Kim Jong-un. Henry Blodget. Roger Goodell. The Mount Rushmore of despicably evil leaders. Today Roger Goodell erased any doubt that he belongs on that list after he committed perjury, lying under oath to the US government."

Portnoy concluded his 'Team Portnoy Press Release' with a vow to defend the United States Constitution's First Ammendment:

“We’re not sure what the punishment for lying to the US government and American people should be. But you have to assume the death penalty is on the table. In the meantime, Portnoy will continue to defend the First Amendment of the US Constitution and help bring truth to all Americans.”

Roger Goodell did not have a good day in court

Roger Goodell being grilled about the Dave Portnoy situation was a mere sideshow to the proceedings at Capitol Hill Wednesday morning. The NFL commissioner was primarily grilled about the toxic workplace environment that was allowed with the Commanders under Dan Snyder for years.

Goodell was forced to acknowledge the issues the league has had to work towards overcoming while also shilling the league's mandated progress to hire more female employees. He said:

"Integral to our commitment to fostering inclusivity in our workplace is ensuring that we continue to build a diverse NFL, one that affords equitable access to opportunity to all regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or background. And we are proud of the significant progress we are making."

He continued:

"At the League offices, more than one-third of our employees are women, and that percentage has continued to grow: 56 percent of all new employees hired in 2021 were women. Our clubs have made similar strides as well."

He finally added:

"More than one-third of NFL clubs are also owned in whole or significant part by women and 25 percent of business operations roles are now held by women."

The statistics sound nice in a bubble, but juxtaposed with the Deshaun Watson situation, the league clearly has optic issues that were not made better today in any way.