ESPN personality and “College GameDay” commentator Pat McAfee didn’t enjoy his visit to the University of Utah last weekend.
That much seemed clear when McAfee ended the broadcast by saying, “I hope I never see you again.” »
But he confirmed it on his show on Monday.
“I enjoyed this college football season, but I didn’t enjoy the University of Utah. I didn’t enjoy it,” McAfee said.
For what? A post from the official University of Utah Instagram account.
“Right before I went there, I see that the university’s Instagram page…they posted a video: ‘Can you do a Pat McAfee impression?’
“One kid says, ‘Ah, he’s cheesy,’ and another calls me ‘creepy.’ OK, if these kids had done this on their own blogs, it’s all good. Everyone shoots me for everything. I understand. …The university is publishing this when I’m about to do an infomercial for this place?
The Instagram post has since been deleted.
“I don’t think you needed to go for those two things, did you?” » McAfee said. “It was just weird. It was just a weird thing.”
The University of Utah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Rich Storry | ESPN Images) Pat McAfee during College GameDay at the University of Utah.
McAfee was far from over his grievances.
He said it was an “uncomfortable feeling” to see the message and then come out in front of a crowd.
“I get a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places,” he said. “The university is putting this out there. It’s something I’ve never really experienced in my entire life. So it kind of threw me off.
“It made me feel a little weird…And then I was like, ‘Did something really scary happen recently at a college gathering at Utah State?'” he said, referring to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last year.
McAfee added, “I like what they’re doing on the football field, but I just didn’t like the university getting amped up like that. »
McAfee said he also didn’t like it when the student chosen for the weekly “Kicking is Easy” competition wondered aloud why the kick wasn’t worth more money.
“Wait, wait, wait. The BYU guy got $3 million,” the Utah student said before kicking and missing a $1 million shot.
(Rich Storry | ESPN Images) Pat McAfee and head coach Morgan Scalley of the Utah Utes on the set of College GameDay Built by Home Depot at the University of Utah.
As for the Instagram account, McAfee said he hasn’t verified who controls the account, but the whole affair hasn’t left him eager to return to Salt Lake City.
“I hope I never go to that place,” he said. “I think I have COVID or something every time ‘GameDay’ comes on if I’m still on ‘GameDay’.”
This could end any hopes of the pregame show coming to the BYU-Utah game on Nov. 7.
“I walked up to this set and said, ‘I think I hate this place. I think I hate this place,'” he said. “But their football team – good at football. Really, really good at football. But I couldn’t wait to get out of there. See you. Bye. I’m out of here.”
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