The reason ESPN brought in Pat McAfee is the same reason the polarizing entertainer is at war with his coworkers.
In a video posted to his Instagram story on Tuesday, McAfee addressed comments that were written about him on a post from the official “College GameDay” account — a show of which he is a weekly host and is known for the inspired student field-goal competition.
That social media post showed McAfee playing to the crowd earlier this month in Eugene, Oregon and comments came in that said “Pat needs to go” and “wish he wasn’t on the show,” according to Awful Announcing.
The 38-year-old, in his own video, said most of the hate comments come from “old white people” who share opinions with some of his producers at ESPN.
“If you think about old white people and old ESPN people, those are really the people that hate me the most at this stage of life,” McAfee said. “Now granted, there’s some other groups that certainly have threatened my life on a pretty regular basis, I’d say they hate me too. But throughout the entirety, old whites and the old ESPN people over the last like three years have really hated me. That’s who all the producers are of ‘GameDay’ too. So now … it’s been a fun run. College football is great. OK, cheers. Have a great day.”
The abrupt video indicated that things are rocky once again in the office.
Some of McAfee’s co-workers did not take kindly to those comments and have become tired of what they call “diva-like” behavior from the sports personality, according to Front Office Sports.
“Totally unnecessary. Grow up and talk to these people to make it better. You are not a victim,” an ESPN source told the outlet. “Everyone is bending over backwards to put you in a good position — and these same people are incentivized for you to succeed.”
Despite the gripes between both parties, McAfee is said to have support from those at the top, which includes chairman Jimmy Pitaro, president of content Burke Magnus and Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Magnus, who admitted to Front Office Sports that McAfee instilled some “friction” around the company, still stands with the former NFL punter.
“Pat is a creative force. He’s pushed hard to advance ‘College GameDay’ and his impact has been enormous,” Magnus said. “Since he joined ESPN, ‘GameDay’ — as well as his own daily show — have experienced unprecedented success. Pat is also an innovator, and when you have someone who disrupts the status quo, it’s not surprising when there’s friction and disagreement as a result. We will continue to encourage and support Pat and the entire ‘GameDay’ cast and crew as together they break new ground on one of ESPN’s most important franchises.”
McAfee previously feuded with executive editor and head of event and studio production Norby Williamson in 2024.
McAfee claimed that Williamson was trying to sabotage his show by leaking rating numbers without context.
Williamson left ESPN three months later after 40 years with the network, The Post exclusively reported at the time.
