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Pat McAfee found another way to mix in a jab at the New York Times during Saturday’s edition of “College GameDay.”
Just minutes into the show centered around Utah’s undefeated start, and just minutes past 7 a.m. local time in Salt Lake City, McAfee started to take his shirt off and climb his chair — something that has become a weekly tradition, of sorts, since joining the ESPN program — before referencing the Times for a second week in a row.
“New York Times already saying it,” McAfee, turning to former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, said. “This asshole is shirtless at 9:02 a.m. Eastern. Sorry, Coach. I’m ruining the whole sport. I’m ruining the whole sport because of this. I just enjoy it too much not to have a good time.”
McAfee claimed he didn’t plan to take his shirt off, but that changed when he estimated that thousands of fans were chanting for that to change.
Last week, when the “College GameDay” analysts were breaking down the then-undefeated start by James Madison, host Rece Davis joked about Billy Napier — now in charge of JMU — remembering how to coach after getting fired by Florida.
“Don’t be joking on here,” McAfee told Davis after the latter clarified that it was a joke. “New York Times is gonna write an article about you! Don’t do it, Rece.”
McAfee, at the time, was likely referencing a column from The Athletic’s Jerry Brewer that said “College GameDay” has already become his show — and that with each appearance McAfee makes, “the harder it is to see the show as the ultimate gathering place for all fans despite a ratings spike this season,” according to Brewer’s story.
McAfee, the longtime Colts punter, has constructed a media career as a polarizing personality after his retirement, and his portfolio includes his own daily show broadcast on ESPN and YouTube.
He was also part of a new “Monday Night Football” alt-cast last week for the network, but it drew only 351,000 viewers, according to The Athletic.
And there he was five days later, unbuttoning his shirt and engaging with the Utah fans from atop his chair before putting it back on and continuing the program.
“I guess the energy of college football is not supposed to be one that the suits get upset if a man ends up shirtless at 7 a.m. in Utah,” McAfee said during the segment. “It’s supposed to be wild. It’s supposed to be chaotic. It’s supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport.
“No matter what country you’re in, college football is the best. The fans are the greatest.”