ESPN’s Pat McAfee took to his Instagram this week to complain about how he has been treated by the network’s production staff. Some of his colleagues were not too thrilled with what he had to say, and let their grievances be known, according to a new report from Front Office Sports.
McAfee calls out ESPN’s production staff
On Tuesday, McAfee stated some harsh comments about the ESPN College GameDay production crew, “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.
He added, “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.”
ESPN sources respond to McAfee’s comments
In response to McAfee, sources told Front Office Sports that McAfee’s comments were viewed as juvenile, unprofessional and bad for business. There was also a bit of frustration that McAfee was airing his issues, ripping his co-workers on a public forum, rather than discussing it in-person with the ESPN production staff.
“Totally unnecessary. Grow up and talk to these people to make it better. You are not a victim,” one source told Front Office Sports. “Everyone is bending over backwards to put you in a good position—and these same people are incentivized for you to succeed.”
McAfee’s complaint was geared towards some of the staff that produce College GameDay, not The Pat McAfee Show. Although The Pat McAfee Show airs daily on ESPN, the show is produced in-house by McAfee’s staff in Indianapolis. A different source also told Front Office Sports that McAfee sometimes acts like an “entitled diva.”
This isn’t the first time that McAfee has publicly expressed issues with production. On April 8, 2024, The Pat McAfee Show aired live from Philadelphia on ESPN after WrestleMania XL. McAfee vented on-air about audio issues that were going on with the show airing on-location.
ESPN stands by McAfee
Although McAfee has had his fair-share of feuds with ESPN management and production in his short-time at the network, he still has full-support from where he needs it. ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus recently hailed McAfee as a “creative force.” But in the same statement to Front Office Sports, he admitted his disruptive style can sometimes cause “friction.”
“Pat is a creative force. He’s pushed hard to advance College GameDay and his impact has been enormous,” Magnus says. “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 has two more years remaining on his contract with College GameDay. He is set to join the show on Saturday for the Missouri Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores matchup from Nashville, Tennessee at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN.
