SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Pat McAfee said he “didn’t like the University of Utah” after “College GameDay” visited the Utes’ campus for their game against Houston.
McAfee said a University of Utah social media post made him feel uncomfortable before Saturday’s show. The post featured students doing impressions of McAfee. One called it “cheesy,” while another called it “creepy,” he said.
“If these kids had done this on their own blogs, it would be fine,” McAfee said. “The university is putting this out there, like I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place, and then I’m walking in front of thousands of people. That’s what the university thinks.”
McAfee said he saw the video shortly before appearing on “College GameDay” and had never experienced anything like it.
He also took issue with the fact that a Utah student compared the $1 million prize of the “College GameDay” kicking contest in Salt Lake City with the $3 million a BYU student won for a kick.
“Then, obviously, the kicker says, ‘Only $1 million, only $1 million.’ It’s like, okay, I hate this place. I hate this place. But they have a good football team. They have a good football team,” he said.
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“Honestly, I have never been so uncomfortable in my life walking in front of a group of people after seeing their university post something that was harassing me moments before,” McAfee said.
McAfee also questioned whether the university should amplify the reasons why people might not like it, referencing the fatal incident at Utah Valley University.
“But the university brought some of it to light right before I left to speak about your school, especially with what happened 40 miles south of Salt Lake City a little over a year ago, it’s like I didn’t appreciate that. I was very, very uncomfortable,” McAfee said.
Pat McAfee said he “didn’t like the University of Utah” after “College GameDay” visited the Utes’ campus for their game against Houston. (Photo: KUTV)
McAfee said he didn’t enjoy the morning and hoped he wouldn’t have to return to school for “College GameDay.” He further praised the event, the student section and the football team.
“I hope I never go to that place. I think I have COVID or something every time game day comes around if I’m still part of game day. But I didn’t enjoy the morning there,” McAfee said.
“But they have a good football team,” he said.
The University of Utah released the following statement:
“The University of Utah is grateful to have had the opportunity to welcome Pat McAfee and the entire ESPN College GameDay team to campus. ESPN College GameDay has visited our campus seven times and we have always enjoyed a great relationship and positive experiences with the entire team.
Our goal during the visit was to create some light-hearted engagement regarding Pat’s return to campus, but we missed the mark. University staff are responsible for reviewing and publishing content on official social media accounts and we take full responsibility for this decision.
University officials contacted Pat to express their appreciation and regret.
We sincerely apologize for creating the impression that Pat was unsafe or unwelcome on our campus. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Pat and the entire GameDay team are always welcome at the University of Utah and we deeply appreciate the opportunity provided by ESPN to showcase our university and community.
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Gn sports
