Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter turned media personality, has stirred significant friction at ESPN due to comments and actions perceived by some colleagues as unprofessional and disruptive.
According to a report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports on Friday, multiple ESPN producers and insiders have expressed frustration with what they describe as McAfee’s “diva-like” behavior, particularly following his public remarks targeting “old white people” and “old ESPN people” involved with College GameDay.
Background: On October 21, 2025, McAfee posted a video on Instagram Stories responding to a collage of negative social media comments about his College Game Day presence, many from older audiences. In the video, he stated, “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… That’s who all the producers are of GameDay too. So now you know that’s it’s been a fun run.”
ESPN’s leadership remains supportive. Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, defended McAfee as a “creative force” whose disruptive style drives success for College GameDay and his daily show, which saw 447,000 average live viewers in September 2025, up 18% year-over-year. Magnus acknowledged that McAfee’s approach can cause “friction” but framed it as an acceptable trade-off for his innovation. support.