Former ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele said it’s hysterical that Pat McAfee has “no rules” at ESPN.
During a Wednesday appearance on Jason Whitlock’s “Fearless” podcast, Steele explained why the host is in “full control” at the Worldwide Leader while discussing his viral interview with President Donald Trump on Veteran’s Day on Tuesday.
“This is Pat McAfee,” Steele said when Whitlock asked if it would be “harder or maybe impossible” for the former All-Pro punter to do the Trump interview if he worked out of ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters.
“[He] dropped the name Norby Williamson [a now-former ESPN executive] and called him a rat, and then doubled down and did it again on his show on ESPN and was not punished,” Steele said of the January 2024 episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
McAfee accused the exec of trying to “sabotage” his show.
Williamson left the network a few months later.
“[McAfee] actually had Burke Magnus, Norby’s replacement, come and do a selfie with him on the field… there were no repercussions,” Steele said.
“… For that to happen and there be no — whether everybody agrees or not — when you rip an executive, name-drop and call him names and nothing happens, you know that you have full control… Can you imagine them telling him ‘no’? That’s not happening. It’s impossible and Pat knows that.
“… That man has no rules. And I think it’s hysterical because I’m picturing being a fly on the wall watching the executives meltdown as this interview happened yesterday. But they could not tell him no.”
Steele left ESPN in August 2023 after both sides settled a lawsuit she filed following her being removed from the air in October 2021 for comments she made about the company’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.
The former “SportsCenter” anchor also noted that McAfee openly discussing Disney’s ongoing negotiations with YouTube TV is another example of his control at ESPN.
It’s no secret that the “College GameDay” host says just about anything he wants on his titular show, which is licensed by the network.
McAfee has made plenty of headlines over his bold language, controversial topics and unapologetic demeanor on his show.
McAfee is two years into a five-year deal with ESPN.
