Three days after Pat McAfee took to social media to complain about “old white people,” including the producers of College GameDay, a new article has published detailing growing frustration and ongoing friction between McAfee and ESPN employees.
In a report from Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, multiple sources expressed frustration with the former All-Pro punter’s “diva” behavior. The comments come in response to a video that was posted to McAfee’s Instagram stories on Tuesday morning, in which he stated, “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.”
“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.”
Another source told McCarthy that McAfee sometimes acts like an “entitled diva.”
Yet despite their gripes, the sources are well aware that ESPN management remains a big fan of the West Virginia product. To that end, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus defended McAfee, but also conceded that his style is capable of creating “friction.”
“Pat is a creative force. He’s pushed hard to advance College GameDay and his impact has been enormous,” Magnus told FOS. “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.”
Magnus’ support is hardly a surprise, as the ESPN executive has long been one of the 38-year-old’s most public (and powerful) supporters. Speaking to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch last month, Magnus said that he couldn’t imagine ESPN’s daily lineup without McAfee being a part of it moving forward.
Having been a weekly cast member on GameDay since 2022 and a part of the ESPN daily lineup via a licensing deal since 2023, this isn’t McAfee’s first dustup when it comes to his colleagues at the Worldwide Leader. Nor will it likely be his last so long as he maintains the support of the network’s highest-ranking executives, who have made it clear that such “friction” is an acceptable — if not necessary — tradeoff.