PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 09: Former NFL participant and host Pat McAfee speaks on radio row forward of Super Bowl LVII on the Phoenix Convention Center on February 9, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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ESPN’s Pat McAfee downside is getting extra difficult.
On Friday, the host and former NFL punter publicly attacked longtime ESPN executive Norby Williamson, accusing him of “actively attempting to sabotage” him by leaking data to reporters.
The New York Post reported on McAfee’s comparatively low scores Thursday, noting “for the reason that inception of McAfee’s present on ESPN within the fall, Stephen A. Smith and ‘First Take’ are handing McAfee a 583,000 viewer lead-in, and McAfee is sustaining simply 302,000, which is a 48% drop.”
McAfee implied Williamson might have leaked the thought for the story to New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand. Marchand declined to remark.
“I consider Norby WIlliamson is the man who’s making an attempt to sabotage our program,” McAfee stated. “I’m not 100% certain. That is simply seemingly the one human that has data after which someway that data will get leaked, and it is flawed.”
McAfee did not particularly say what data was flawed. Over the years, different ESPN expertise have speculated that Williamson has leaked personal particulars, together with contract data, based on folks aware of the matter. On Friday, former ESPN journalist Jemele Hill posted on social media platform X “I can relate” with regard to McAfee’s feedback about Williamson.
There’s no proof Williamson has leaked data. Williamson, who has labored for ESPN for almost 40 years, declined to remark by way of an ESPN spokesperson.
There’s additionally a contingent of ESPN staff who have grumbled about McAfee’s present and his giant contract. McAfee signed a five-year, $85 million contract with ESPN in May.
ESPN administration values the significance of each McAfee and Williamson and is trying into the main points of why McAfee denigrated an executive, based on an individual aware of the matter. There is not any deliberate suspension for McAfee, and ESPN hopes to discover a path ahead for each Williamson and McAfee, based on an individual aware of the matter.
An ESPN spokesperson declined to remark.
Earlier this week, McAfee discovered himself in scorching water for offering a platform for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to disparage a fellow Disney worker. Rodgers, a frequent visitor on McAfee’s present, incorrectly urged ABC late-night discuss present host Jimmy Kimmel could be included in court docket paperwork associated to late intercourse felony Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel fired again Tuesday, tweeting Rodgers’ “reckless phrases put [his] household at risk.”
McAfee later apologized over the Kimmel feedback.
“I might see precisely why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way in which he felt, particularly along with his place,” McAfee stated Wednesday, noting that Rodgers “did go too far.”
ESPN on Friday additionally addressed Rodgers’ feedback about Kimmel.
“Aaron made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel. It ought to by no means have occurred. We all realized that within the second,” ESPN executive Mike Foss told Front Office Sports.
The New York Post previously reported that McAfee has paid Rodgers “hundreds of thousands” to look on his present. The former MVP and Super Bowl champion, who has made lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} within the NFL, joined the Jets final yr after taking part in for over a decade with the Green Bay Packers. He missed the season with an Achilles tendon harm.
A consultant for Rodgers did not instantly reply to a request for remark.