By now, it’s clear that Pat McAfee has become a regular presence across ESPN’s programming. The reasons behind that, however, are open to interpretation. Some believe the network is trying to get its money’s worth, especially with reports suggesting ESPN could sign McAfee to a $65 million-a-year deal. Others argue that McAfee has become a major contributor to the network’s ratings success.
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Not everyone, however, is happy with his growing presence. Joe Scarborough has now joined the criticism, accusing ESPN of allowing the former Indianapolis Colts punter to overshadow the established personalities on College GameDay.
“Now listen, while we’re talking football, does anybody want to get in trouble? I’ll just say it myself,” said Scarborough on MS NOW’s Morning Joe. “Maybe you’ll get in trouble with me or not. I’ve just had enough of this Pat McAfee ruining college game day. I’ll just say it myself. I’ve had enough of Pat McAfee ruining college game day. I look forward to waking up on Saturday mornings and watching that. And I don’t know if they haven’t got the message yet, but the manosphere that we all thought was brought in 24, it may get washed aside.”
Scarborough’s comments came during Tuesday’s edition of MS NOW’s Morning Joe. He went on an extended rant about McAfee’s influence on College GameDay. The comments came during Election Day coverage on Morning Joe. The discussion initially revolved around ESPN’s six-part documentary Saban, which focuses on legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
Willie Geist, Scarborough’s co-host, was discussing the documentary and mentioned his sister, Libby Geist, who was one of its producers. Scarborough then used the football discussion as an opportunity to express his frustration with McAfee.
ESPN brought the former NFL punter in 2019, when he made an appearance on College GameDay. Since then, McAfee has become a full-time presence at ESPN, featuring in GameDay, Monday Night Countdown, and his Monday Night Football alt-cast.
Things only escalated when, in June 2026, Sports Business Journal reported that ESPN and McAfee’s representatives were discussing a potential contract extension worth more than $60 million annually.
Joe Scarborough, however, went on to criticize McAfee days after his controversial visit to the University of Utah, where the ESPN personality publicly expressed frustration over a university social-media video mocking him. In the process, Scarborough went on to praise other ESPN personalities, including Rece Davis and Desmond Howard.
“Maybe you aren’t having to be yelling at people and being freaked out because two kids in Utah put up signs or say something that might offend you,” he added. “Do you know what Nick Saban calls that? Tuesday! And he’s melting down, and you’re hearing all these stories about it’s just, it’s really ESPN. I mean, they run their company the way they want to run their company.
“But man, it is a shame for the viewer, and I hear this universally from people that love, you know, I love watching Rece (Davis). I love watching those guys and watching Nick on there talking about it. Home Street’s amazing. Desmond, they’re all great, and they’re all being eclipsed by ESPN’s just insatiable desire to give this guy more time.”
Before College GameDay arrived at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, the university’s official Instagram account published a video featuring students imitating McAfee. The students were asked to do impressions of the former Colts punter. One student described him as “Corny,” while another called him “Creepy.”
The video also poked fun at McAfee’s tendency to remove his shirt during College GameDay broadcasts. That video, however, didn’t sit well with Pat McAfee.
“One kid goes, ‘Ah, he’s corny.’ Another kid calls me creepy,'” said McAfee. “OK, if these kids would have done this on their own blogs, all good. I mean, everybody’s taking shots at me anyways for everything; I get it.
“The university puts that out. Like, as I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then I’m walking in front of thousands of these people. This is how the university feels about it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’m like, I’m getting a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places. The university is putting this out? That something I just had never experienced really in my entire life.”
The University of Utah subsequently acknowledged that the video had missed the mark and took accountability, citing:
“Our goal during the visit was to create lighthearted engagement regarding Pat being back on campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and posting content on official social media accounts and we take full accountability for that decision.”
Despite Utah issuing an apology, the incident has continued to fuel debate over his on-air persona and growing influence at the network. Scarborough’s latest criticism adds another voice to that discussion, although it remains to be seen whether ESPN will reconsider McAfee’s role on College GameDay or continue giving him a prominent place in its college football coverage. For now, the network has supported McAfee following the controversy.