official Instagram account<\/a>. <\/p>\n\u201cRight before I go out there, I see that the university\u2019s Instagram page … they put out a video, \u2018Can you do an impression of Pat McAfee?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cOne kid goes, \u2018Ah, he\u2019s corny,\u2019 and another kid calls me \u2018creepy.\u2019 OK, if these kids would have done this on their own blogs, all good. Everybody\u2019s taking shots at me for everything. I get it. … The university puts that out as I\u2019m about to go do an infomercial for the place?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Instagram post has since been deleted.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t think you needed to go with those two things, did you?\u201d McAfee said. \u201cIt was just weird. It was just a weird thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, the University of Utah said, \u201cOur goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and we take full accountability for that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Rich Storry | ESPN Images) Pat McAfee during College GameDay at the University of Utah.<\/p>\n
McAfee was far from done with his airing of grievances. <\/p>\n
He said it was an \u201cuncomfortable feeling\u201d to see the post and then go out in front of a crowd. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places,\u201d he said. \u201cThe university is putting this out. That is something I just had never experienced really in my entire life. So it kind of set me off a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me feel a little bit weird. … And then I thought to myself, \u2018Has anything like really scary happened at like a college gathering in the state of Utah recently?\u2019\u201d he said, referencing the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last year. <\/p>\n
McAfee added: \u201cI like what they\u2019re doing on the football field, but I just didn\u2019t appreciate the university amplifying like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The university said school officials have reached out to McAfee to \u201cexpress appreciation and regret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sincerely apologize for creating any perception that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus,\u201d the U. said in a statement. \u201cNothing could be further from the truth. Pat and the entire \u2018GameDay\u2019 crew are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity ESPN provides to showcase our university and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t end there, though. McAfee said he was annoyed when the student picked for the weekly \u201cKicking is Easy\u201d contest wondered aloud why the kick wasn\u2019t worth more money. <\/p>\n
\u201cWait, wait, wait. The BYU guy got $3 million,\u201d the Utah student said before attempting \u2014 and missing \u2014 a kick for $1 million.<\/p>\n
(Rich Storry | ESPN Images) Pat McAfee and head coach Morgan Scalley of the Utah Utes on the set of College GameDay Built by the Home Depot at the University of Utah.<\/p>\n
As for the Instagram account, McAfee said he hadn\u2019t looked into who had control of the account, but the whole affair didn\u2019t leave him eager for a return trip to Salt Lake City. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll hopefully never go to that place,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I have COVID or something whenever \u2018GameDay\u2019 goes back if I\u2019m still a part of \u2018GameDay.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That might put an end to any hopes of the pregame show coming to the BYU-Utah game on Nov. 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked up to that set and said, \u2018I think I hate this place. I think I hate this place,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut their football team \u2014 good at football. Really, really good at football. But I couldn\u2019t wait to get the hell out of there. See you. Goodbye. I\u2019m out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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