Pat McAfee left Utah saying he hoped he would never have to return. Days later, a former Utes linebacker had a different message for the ESPN personality: the university’s misstep should not define an entire fan base.
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Chase Hansen, a former Utah captain and All-American, addressed McAfee directly in an Instagram video posted October 28, issuing an apology on behalf of the fringe Utah fans.
“If I’d been in your position last weekend, I probably wouldn’t have loved my experience either,” Hansen said. “I didn’t feel like we represented super well as a fan base. But the point I wanna make here is that a few awkward college kids, the decision to post the video, whatever happened with the kick, is not indicative of Ute Nation as a whole.”
The backlash started before College GameDay began its broadcast last Saturday. Utah’s official social media account had posted a video asking students to do their best McAfee impression, but the responses quickly turned into a roast.
Rather than copy his on-air persona, some students made personal comments about McAfee. One branded him “corny,” while another went with “creepy.” ESPN analyst said he would not have objected to students making those jokes on their own accounts.
However, a football program doing that, especially when he was due to appear before thousands of fans at College GameDay, was something McAfee couldn’t quite accept.
The ESPN personality discussed the experience on The Pat McAfee Show on October 26, saying the post had made him feel “uncomfortable.” He also questioned whether the program should amplify content that could encourage hostility toward him.
In its public apology, the university said it had intended to create lighthearted engagement around McAfee’s return but had “missed the mark.” Now, Hansen has presented a different POV on the whole controversy.
“It’s worth recognizing that we as a program have often leaned into being the villains, the underdogs, the toughest, nastiest guys on the field, which I am all here for,” Hansen added. “But sometimes that mentality bleeds into interactions away from the field.”
The students’ remarks could have remained a minor embarrassment for the university. But McAfee’s declaration that he would not return to Utah gave the incident a much longer life.
Fans were suddenly arguing over a broadcast that had already come and gone, with the host’s reaction putting the school on the defensive after it had welcomed College GameDay to campus.
Hansen, though, described Utah’s roster as historically diverse, with athletes from different backgrounds sharing a team and a common identity.
He credited former coach Kyle Whittingham, HC Morgan Scalley, and the program’s wider coaching staff with helping establish a culture that values the character of its players.
Hansen was not at all asking Pat McAfee to pretend the weekend had gone well. He is asking him to separate a poor decision by university staff from the wider community that supports the team. And with that thought, he invited McAfee to Salt Lake City, Utah, again.
“Some of our parts are a bit clunky and don’t fit perfectly well,” Hansen said. “But I stand by the fact that when you step back and look at the whole, it’s a pretty special place and only getting better. So, my hope is that you do in fact come back and experience more of the good that Utah has to offer.”
Hansen knows Utah’s football program from the inside. He appeared in 43 games for the Utes, started 35 of them, and was named a captain in 2018. He finished that year with 114 tackles, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a spot on the second-team All-American list.
For now, the whole controversy has spilled beyond Pat McAfee himself. The ESPN host recently noted that his family is now being targeted online, and said, “Sorry to those” who despise him.
It remains to be seen whether McAfee chooses to accept Hansen’s invitation to experience the ‘good that Utah has to offer.’ It will ultimately determine whether this incident becomes a footnote or a lasting rift.