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New ESPN executive vice president Mike Foss has little time for the critics of the network’s most recognizable personality.
When Foss was asked what he would say to those critical of Pat McAfee’s time on “College GameDay,” the network executive had a blunt reply.
“Absolutely nothing,” he said during Tuesday’s Front Office Sports’ “Tuned In” summit in midtown Manhattan.
It was a staunch defense of McAfee, whose presence on ESPN has been polarizing, from controversial interviews during his daily talk show to his time as an analyst on “GameDay.”
Foss, who was promoted to his current position in May after Dave Roberts retired, lauded what McAfee has brought to the college football pregame show.
“I think you can’t deny the influence and the impact that Pat has had on that show,” Foss said. “I think the ability that he brings to the table, not only as a talent, but as a producer, has given that thing a level of life and a dynamic that it never had before.”
Foss was also quick to credit Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Nick Saban, along with McAfee, as the “Beatles of college football” for their roles in making the program the lynchpin that it is.
“College GameDay” is averaging 2.8 million viewers so far this season and has broken viewership records it has set multiple times over recent seasons.
Foss described McAfee as a “generational” talent during Tuesday’s event and, while McAfee doesn’t see himself as a journalist, the ESPN honcho thinks he might need to give himself more credit.
“I think he might be a journalist at heart,” Foss said. “I think what you find as he puts the show together each day, and something piques his interest; he’s got the Rolodex, so that he’s able to navigate waters and has built access that a lot of people don’t have the ability to do.
“When he needs to get information, whether it’s on the show or off, he’s able to grab it really quickly.”