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Pat McAfee has rapidly ascended to become one of the most famous names in sports media.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter and two-time Pro Bowler retired in 2016 and quickly made the pivot in media.
It didn’t take long for him become an absolute superstar, making appearances on ESPN, WWE and of course, his own independent show, The Pat McAfee Show.
The latter quickly became a much-watch for sports fans everywhere, as McAfee regularly broke news and conducted major interviews.
ESPN realized this, and recently inked the superstar to a contract worth over $100 million. Though the move didn’t sit well with everyone at ESPN, which is staring down the barrel of a large round of layoffs.
Enter Mike Greenberg, one of the company’s biggest and most senior stars. Greenberg’s time with the company dates back to 1996, and he has some interesting thoughts on the company hiring McAfee.
“I love it (and) I love McAfee,” he told Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. “I had been hearing about him from people in the earliest days of ‘Get Up’ (but) I hadn’t seen much. Then I remember I was traveling back from the [2019] Draft in Nashville, and I saw him when he came out to announce (the Indianapolis Colts) pick. He turned legendary that day.
“I remember watching it and thinking, ‘This is different. Like there are a million loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, smart-aleck talk show guys. There’s something very different about this one.’ There’s an obvious intelligence; almost genius. It was evident to me immediately, just watching that. And so I personally reached out to him that day. ”
That’s a pretty massive endorse for McAfee. Not that he needed one, given his shiny new contract. But for Greenberg having his back could help sway his ESPN colleagues.
And for those it doesn’t, well, McAfee isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.