Pat McAfee isn’t hiding from his legion of critics, even those critics who reside at ESPN, where he has made a name for himself in recent years with his high energy and sometimes controversial antics.
The 2-time Pro Bowl punter for the Indianapolis Colts shot back at those critics on Tuesday. McAfee, who hosts The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN and also serves up his craziness as a co-host on College GameDay on Saturday mornings, has been at ESPN since 2019. For some at the network, it’s been a very long 6 years with McAfee around, but the 38-year-old isn’t taking the heat lying down, and those who watch McAfee on a regular basis wouldn’t expect anything else.
During a rant on social media on Tuesday, McAfee fired back with a vengeance and a flair, as only McAfee can.
“I just got done a little morning workout. It’s nice to read those comments,” McAfee said. “It’d like to let all you old (expletive) 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.”
That life has McAfee constantly in the spotlight at ESPN, both on his daily show and on those Saturday mornings, when he shows off his high-energy act for all college football fans to see. For some critics at ESPN, it’s all just way too much. But McAfee is going to do what he’s going to do.
“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 said.
McAfee’s rant would go on and so will his act on ESPN, much to the dismay of those legions of critics.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
