Pat McAfee has a message for Georgia fans who blame him for ESPN’s massive layoffs: go to hell.
McAfee went on a bizarre rant Tuesday on “First Take,” where he pushed back against those who blame him for ESPN’s layoffs, including Georgia fans upset about former Bulldogs star David Pollack’s ouster.
This past Saturday, the ex-punter tricked Georgia fans into thinking he would choose the Bulldogs to beat Alabama before selecting the Crimson Tide on “College GameDay.”
“I was very nice to them, I was very cordial to them, but in the biggest moment, in front of them all, it was a nice little reminder that hey, yeah, you can go to hell too for what you said to me all year,” McAfee said Tuesday.
McAfee’s rant ties back to him leaving FanDuel to sign a five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN earlier this year, which preceded ESPN’s massive layoffs.
Naturally, some connected how ESPN cleared payroll to hire McAfee.
One of those personalities was Pollack, whom McAfee replaced on “College GameDay.”
That did not sit well with Georgia fans, and McAfee claims they let him know it throughout the year.
“The whole narrative all year was that because my show came to ESPN, obviously we fired Steve Young, we fired all the people that were here and were great people at ESPN and it was my show’s fault,” McAfee said Tuesday. “And then on GameDay, David Pollack got let go. David Pollack, who I am a massive fan of, one of the greatest Bulldogs of all time, a dude who was very good to me, obviously I took his spot. So, Georgia fans all year not necessarily the biggest McAfee fans.”
During Saturday’s pregame show, McAfee played the Georgia fans by singing a Georgia chant before then choosing the Crimson Tide.
“Give me Alabama to break all of your hearts,” McAfee exclaimed.
McAfee is thankful the Crimson Tide knocked off the Bulldogs after his stunt.
Said McAfee: “Alabama wins that, it’s a huge ordeal, it’s always better than that because Georgia wins that I have to live with that forever.”
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