Pat McAfee, the ex-punter turned ESPN panelist, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently.
His time on “College GameDay” and his unique take on Georgia fans have become hot topics for conversation in the world of college football.
Pat McAfee was a punter at West Virginia University before his time in the NFL, where he played for the Indianapolis Colts.
However, McAfee opted to start a career in sports commentary after his time on the field, signing a lucrative deal with ESPN. But this transition was not without its controversy.
Earlier this year, McAfee announced he would be leaving FanDuel after signing a five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN.
Here’s Pat McAfee giving ESPN executives a heart attack by cursing on First Take and talking about people who were laid off before Molly Qerim tries to make the save. pic.twitter.com/2IWvoV6YHr
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) December 5, 2023
This news was met with mixed reactions, primarily because it coincided with ESPN’s massive layoffs.
Consequently, many speculated that ESPN had cleared payroll to hire McAfee, thus raising eyebrows and sentiments of discontent.
Running in parallel to McAfee’s acquisition was the exit of former Bulldogs star David Pollack.
ESPN fans were left disappointed, and Georgia fans, in particular, were not pleased with Pollack’s ouster and his subsequent replacement by McAfee.
Georgia fans expressed their disappointment outright and McAfee was not oblivious to it.
“The whole narrative all year was that because my show came to ESPN, obviously we fired Steve Young, we fired all the people that were here and were great people at ESPN and it was my show’s fault,” McAfee said Tuesday. “And then on GameDay, David Pollack got let go. David Pollack, who I am a massive fan of, one of the greatest Bulldogs of all time, a dude who was very good to me, obviously I took his spot. So, Georgia fans all year not necessarily the biggest McAfee fans.”
This was evident during Saturday’s pregame show, where McAfee trolled the Georgia fans by singing a Georgia chant and then choosing the Alabama Crimson Tide as his pick.
Pat McAfee trolled Georgia fans on College GameDay when he picked Alabama after they were angry with him replacing David Pollack.
"It was a nice little reminder, that, hey yea, you can go to hell too for what you said to me all year."
(H/T @JimmyTraina) pic.twitter.com/ux1Wlt6OZY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 5, 2023
McAfee’s controversial choice was punctuated by his statement, “Give me Alabama to break all of your hearts.”
McAfee’s act on “College GameDay” provoked a range of reactions. While some saw it as a witty move, many Georgia fans perceived it as disrespectful.
But McAfee didn’t hold back and even expressed relief when Alabama won over Georgia.
Exclaiming “Alabama wins that, it’s a huge ordeal,” McAfee seemed thankful that the Crimson Tide knocked off the Bulldogs post firing his stunt on “College GameDay.”
He went on to add, “It’s always better than that because should Georgia win, I have to live with that forever.”
