Pat McAfee reportedly banned NFL insider Adam Schefter from his show after his ESPN colleague snubbed him for a rival program in March.
The claim was made by the New York Times on Thursday morning. ESPN, in a statement reported by the publication, called it a ‘rumor’ and lashed out at people ‘seemingly obsessed with wanting to see Pat fail on ESPN.’
The Times said that McAfee was unhappy when Schefter turned down an appearance on his show because he was already appearing on an ESPN2 free agency special.
The report also says Schefter will return to McAfee’s show for the first time since the March incident later on Thursday. Neither McAfee or Schefter have yet responded to the report.
Ex-NFL player McAfee, 38, signed an $85million deal with ESPN in 2023 for his hugely popular ‘Pat McAfee Show’. His ESPN colleague Schefter, meanwhile, is widely considered the most respected and distinguished NFL reporter in the business.
Amid McAfee’s unhappiness with Schefter, Ian Rapoport has been a regular in his place.
Pat McAfee reportedly banned ESPN colleague Adam Schefter from his show back in March
His ESPN colleague Schefter is one of the most respected NFL reporters
ESPN’s Burke Magnus, the president of content at the organization, told the NYT: ‘Pat and his show are thriving on ESPN.
‘We are very pleased with the partnership. That said, in the nearly three years since Pat has brought his show to our platforms, we’ve continuously seen those out there that are seemingly obsessed with wanting to see Pat fail on ESPN.
‘This rumor is just the latest example of that. Pat and his show continue to break the mold and reach new audiences, and we look forward to the continued success together.’
But amid McAfee’s undoubted popularity, he has also been a cause of controversy in his time at ESPN.
He welcomes Aaron Rodgers as a weekly guest during the NFL season, where the quarterback has regularly peddled conspiracy theories.
McAfee was also slammed for spreading a fake viral internet rumor on his show that Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett, 18, had an affair with her boyfriend’s father.
The vicious rumors sparked a FBI investigation, with the Cornett family considering legal action against anyone who initially shared it online.
‘I’m not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views,’ the 18-year-old told NBC.
McAfee and his wife Samantha pictured at Wednesday’s Indiana Pacers NBA Finals’ game
She went on to say that McAfee ‘never once reached out to ask me if this was true or for me to give any sort of statement to him.’
‘I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl’s “sex scandal” that was completely false,’ she said.
Worst of all, Cornett claimed she’s been harassed by strangers calling her a ‘whore’ or ‘slut’ over an internet rumor that has ‘zero truth to it.’
Before forging a career in the sports media, McAfee played in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts as a kicker. He retired at 29 after a third knee operation in four years and joined Barstool Sports, founded by Dave Portnoy.
McAfee also hosts ESPN’s hugely popular College GameDay.
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