Dave Portnoy rages at John Henry as Liverpool owner's greedy business questioned

Dave Portnoy rages at Liverpool owner John Henry over his Boston Red Sox strategy, as criticism continues to grow around finances, roster moves and ownership priorities

Boston Red Sox fans aren't happy with John Henry's ownership(Image: Getty Images)

Dave Portnoy has launched a scathing attack on Liverpool owner John Henry as frustration continues to grow among Boston Red Sox fans over the franchise’s direction.

The outspoken media personality questioned the ownership group’s spending and ambition, accusing Henry of prioritizing business interests over on-field success. Early-season concerns surrounding the Red Sox lineup have quickly escalated into a full-blown crisis, with offensive struggles once again coming under the spotlight. A familiar issue — strikeouts—proved particularly costly, as the Red Sox were swept in a three-game series by the Houston Astros,

Fenway Sports Group owns a diverse portfolio of major sports properties, including Liverpool and the Red Sox, while also backing TGL team Boston Common Golf and holding a stake in RFK Racing. It comes after FSG made a major decision after Mohamed Salah announced his exit.

Portnoy has directed criticism at Henry over the club’s roster decisions, calling for the return of former stars such as Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. Portnoy wrote on X: "Dear John Henry bring back Mookie Betts, Devers, Bregman, Boegarts and everybody else you f----d us out of you c---------r. Sell the team and go back to wherever you came from."

Portnoy previously scrutinized the Red Sox ownership in January. Following Alex Bregman’s departure from Boston on a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, the longtime Red Sox fan and Barstool Sports founder had seen enough from the team's ownership.

“John Henry is the worst human alive right now,” Portnoy, 42, said on FS1's "Wake up Barstool" on Monday.

“The fact [Fenway Sports Group] owns the Red Sox, they don’t care about them. Fenway Sports Group, get these guys out of here, sell the team.

“You don’t care about the team, you treat us like we’re the Minnesota Twins or some small market team. Get John Henry out of here!”

Dave Portnoy has heavily critcized how FSG runs the Boston Red Sox(Image: Getty)

Portnoy also pointed to the Red Sox’s handling of Rafael Devers, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants last June following months of tension over the third base position—eventually surrendered to Bregman.

“The Red Sox, John Henry, what they did…” Portnoy added. “Rafael Devers, who is supposedly the face of the franchise, they had him locked up forever. They bring in Bregman to play third base, don’t tell Devers, Devers gets mad, Devers gets shipped out. They get Bregman for a cup of coffee; he signs with the Cubs.”

Henry recently broke a five-year silence on X, responding to a The Boston Globe reporter with a brief but pointed message. After columnist Dan Shaughnessy acknowledged he had misread a story and reversed his criticism of NESN — which is majority-owned by FSG — Henry replied with a single word: “Historic.”

Fans of the Red Sox quickly flooded the replies, voicing frustration over the team’s direction and ownership under Henry, with several calling for him to sell the franchise to someone they believe is more committed to winning.