Barstool Sports founder and prominent Michigan booster Dave Portnoy found himself at the center of another social media storm following Michigan’s controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan over the weekend.
The backlash stemmed from the game’s dramatic final sequence, when officials restored one second to the clock after an initial Hail Mary attempt. That gave Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood another chance, and he connected with J.J. Buchanan for a 47-yard walk-off touchdown.
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In the hours after the game, fans and media members questioned the decision to put one second back on the clock. Broadcast angles and television scorebugs appeared to show the clock reaching 0:00 before Western Michigan defender Micah Davis touched the ball while out of bounds.
Portnoy quickly came to Michigan’s defense. He shared a video on X that he claimed to have obtained through his “sources and connections,” one that showed synchronized footage of the stadium clock and end-zone camera.
Portnoy argued that the footage proved the officials made the correct call. “It’s pretty indisputable the refs made the right call. Sorry to disappoint the haters… Integrity and character will always come before winning at Michigan,” he said.
Instead of ending the debate, the video birthed an entirely new controversy. Several fans and media personalities accused Portnoy of sharing edited or doctored footage. Portnoy’s post was also hit with a Community Note on social media platform X, noting that the footage had been doctored.
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One fan was among the most direct critics, writing: “Holy community note, this loser is now using AI to edit ref mistakes”
Holy community note 💀 this loser is now using AI to edit ref mistakes https://t.co/sULT2zVVND
— Tucker Kraft Enjoyer (@KraftGOAT) September 7, 2026
Ed Greenberger argued that Portnoy should simply accept the controversy surrounding Michigan’s win rather than continue defending it. “Instead of posting obviously fake videos, how about saying: ‘My team [expletive]. We obviously lost the game, and even if the officials inexplicably gave us an extra play that we ‘won’ on, the whole world knows at the very least that we didn’t deserve to win.’”
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The CDS Sports Podcast account also questioned the footage, saying, “Like I said, it’s doctored. You need to up your troll game, lil dude. Getting community noted ruins it.”
Others were even more blunt in their reactions. Matthew Benson wrote, “Promoting a doctored video? Could you possibly be a bigger loser??”
Promoting a doctored video? Could you possibly be a bigger loser?? https://t.co/7JUeipQQiz
— Matthew Benson (@MatthewWBenson) September 7, 2026
Analyst Austin Nufrio shifted the criticism toward Portnoy’s investment in Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, writing, “Just can’t admit he made a bad investment in Underwood… Should’ve spent that money elsewhere.”
The criticism continued across social media, with Michael Priestley calling the footage “an edited video” and accusing Portnoy of disgracing the sport.
Big Ten Explains Controversial Final Second
The Big Ten later issued a formal explanation for the decision, stating that the stadium cameras that track the game clock are synchronized with a strobe system before kickoff.
According to the conference, the television broadcast scorebug was not synchronized with the official in-stadium clock. Replay officials instead relied on the direct stadium clock camera feed, which showed that 0:01 remained when Davis made contact with the ball while out of bounds.
The MAC ultimately accepted the explanation, but the controversy surrounding Michigan’s victory continued.
Portnoy’s attempt to defend the officials’ decision only added another layer to the debate, as attention shifted from the final-second ruling itself to questions about the video he shared.
