Pat McAfee had a tough day.
On Friday, ESPN made the decision to lay off several well-known individuals, including Suzy Kolber, Todd McShay, Jalen Rose, and Jeff Van Gundy.
As a result, fans took to Twitter to criticize Pat McAfee, who recently signed a lucrative contract with ESPN. Rumors began circulating that ESPN had overpaid for McAfee, leading to the layoffs.
Although these claims are untrue, they continue to circulate. Late on Friday, McAfee responded to the criticism on social media, reflecting on his show’s journey and expressing gratitude for being the leader of a talented team.
“I did a lot of reflecting about our show’s journey while I was getting murdered on the internet today (hell yeah).. all roads lead back to how honored I am to be the leader of such a talented group and how lucky I am to be a part of this team (a few missing from pics and a couple I couldn’t tag)… We do our thing. We enjoy ourselves. And we never blink… Basement, box truck, world stoppage.. you name it.. the show rolls on,” McAfee tweeted.
He acknowledged the missing members from his pictures and vowed to keep pushing forward regardless of setbacks.
McAfee also addressed his future with ESPN, stating that his goal is to prevent future mass layoffs within the network.
“We’re very pumped to be joining ESPN and our goal is that ‘Mass exits’ are never a thing again.. we hope to help that.. obviously that’s a lofty goal but, that’s how I truly look at life… I wish we could’ve worked alongside a lot of the folks that got released today. Some absolute legends, that we all respect, in the sports media world were trending today for losing jobs. That sucks.. no matter how you slice it. We’re gonna continue to control the things we can control.. try to do daily sports coverage in an entertaining and informative fashion.. and be thankful for all of the opportunities that have been earned thru a lot of hard work and commitment from the group of dudes I get to call coworkers.”
Built on stone.
I did a lot of reflecting about our show’s journey while I was getting murdered on the internet today (hell yeah).. all roads lead back to how honored I am to be the leader of such a talented group and how lucky I am to be a part of this team (a few missing from… pic.twitter.com/DBj9eruKA1
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 1, 2023
He expressed excitement about joining ESPN and emphasized the importance of maintaining a supportive and inclusive environment. McAfee expressed sympathy for the legends in the sports media industry who lost their jobs and expressed a desire to work alongside them. W
ith his new role at ESPN, McAfee has the opportunity to further elevate his star status.
While fans may miss the familiar faces on TV, they are curious to see how McAfee will perform under the spotlight.
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