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Pat McAfee did not hold back in addressing his critics — and hinted at some behind-the-scenes drama on ESPN’s College GameDay. Via his Instagram Story, McAfee, 38, posted a collage of criticism he’s recently faced in response to a video shared by the official College GameDay social accounts this week, which showed his energetic introduction during the show’s stop in Eugene, Oregon, on October 11. “Pat needs to go. Not a fan at all!” and “Wish he wasn’t on the show,” read some of the comments in the since-expired Instagram Story, according to Awful Announcing. McAfee — who joined ESPN’s long-running College Gameday in 2022 — addressed all of the criticism in an accompanying video via his Story. “I just got done a little morning workout. It’s nice to read those comments,” he said. “I’d like to let all you old f***s know, I hate you, too. Never got along with that class of people. Teachers, principals, you name it. Since I [was] a kid, always hated me. It’s kind of a part of life now.” “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 added, alluding to some friction with the network. “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.” McAfee continued, “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.” Us Weekly has reached out to ESPN for comment. It is unclear what McAfee is referencing, specifically, but he is still scheduled to be behind the GameDay desk when the show travels to Nashville on Saturday, October 25, ahead of the showdown between Vanderbilt and Missouri. McAfee has previously addressed his College GameDay critics on multiple occasions, including replying to a comment on Instagram last year that asked: “Am I the only one who genuinely doesn’t like McAfee? I can’t put my finger on it, but damn he makes me angry.” In response, McAfee wrote: “I’ve been with me a long time … You’re definitely not the only one. Good news is, I’d probably hate you too.” McAfee is no stranger to courting controversy with his employer, either, which was exemplified in August after ESPN struck a deal with WWE, who McAfee has worked for as a commentator since 2019. “Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together,” McAfee posted via X after the announcement. “I assume all the mid level, powerless, bum ass suits at ESPN will attempt to muddy this somehow (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous opinions/etc.) but, in the end … this agreement will outlive the dinosaurs currently guarding desks in Bristol and this deal will be great for ESPN. Cheers to the future.”
