Sports media personality Pat McAfee has hinted that this may be his final season appearing on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’
McAfee recently responded to a post from The Athletic that stated that out of a survey of 3,100 of the publication’s readers 48.9 percent did not like the former Indianapolis Colts punter on the show.
Only 30.1 percent said they enjoyed him on the show and 21 percent said they did not have an opinion on the matter.
The 36-year-old McAfee responded to the survey in a tweet that addressed both the survey and his status on the show going forward.
‘I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I have not re-signed a contract with the legendary show,’ McAfee wrote.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee has hinted that this may be his final season appearing on College GameDay
The former Indianapolis punter refused to commit to the program following fan backlash
McAfee began appearing on the show in 2019 before taking a full-time role in September 2022
‘I’m not right for some crowds and the “distinguished” College Football folks are definitely one of those.
‘It’s been an absolute blast and an honor to be at that desk and to work with the fine folks of that family…’ he continued.
‘It’s also been really fun to work 7 days a week for the last 2 football seasons.’
McAfee began making appearances on College GameDay back in 2019 before becoming one of the show’s full-time analyst in September of 2022.
College GameDay has also seen a drop in viewership, down four percent this year.
In 2023, the show has averaged 1.956 million viewers per episode. In 2022 the show averaged 2.043 million per episode, according to The Athletic.
McAfee’s post comes just months after he signed a five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN to be one of their top media personalities, which was a pay cut from his four-year, $120 million deal from FanDuel.
The network had already made McAfee one of their mainstays on their college program but this year’s deal saw them acquire his popular Pat McAfee Show, which boats New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as a regular guest.
Rodgers is being paid more than $1million a year for his weekly appearances on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show.
Before his career as a sports media personality McAfee was a punter for the Indianapolis Colts
‘Aaron has made over $1,000,000 with us, for sure,’ McAfee confirmed to the New York Post on Wednesday.
Rodgers and Alabama coach Nick Saban are among the star studded line-up who appear on The Pat McAfee Show.
And according to the Post, the former NFL player uses money from his own $85m, five-year deal with ESPN to land such high-profile guests, with Saban said to be paid handsomely too.
Rodgers has been a fixture on the show every Tuesday for much of the last few seasons. McAfee launched his show in 2019 and it was broadcast on YouTube before ESPN agreed to air it from this September.